Coaches, spectators, and teammates might all be cheering, but all I hear are my movements through the water and the words of my very first swim coach echoing through my mind, “pull, breathe, kick, glide.” I touch the wall with two hands simultaneously, turn, push off, and execute a pullout. Races are often won or lost at the turn, but I have no time to look around to determine if I am ahead or behind. Pull, breathe, kick, glide. These are the moments that I live for. My passion for swimming began with a love for the water and a coach who believed in me. It continued through years of diligent practice and steady growth. I am passionate about swimming because it has taught me the values of discipline, tenacity, and teamwork. I began competing for Lincolnia Park Recreational Club, a Northern Virginia Swimming League team, at age 7, and have been dedicated to working hard for the team ever since. For many years I was an average teammate, which meant that I filled whichever lanes were left over after the faster swimmers were placed in their events. At times, I competed with swimmers in a higher age group because my team had gaps to fill. This often resulted in last place, but I still occasionally earned points if other swimmers were disqualified. Instead of giving up, I worked harder in practice and swam with a club team in the winter to keep improving. During this period, I learned that I could push myself to do hard things, especially for my teammates. As time went on, I began swimming more events per meet, and eventually became the highest point-earner on my summer team. Remembering my humble beginning drove me to volunteer my time to help my younger teammates to improve in technique. After a few years of volunteering, I began my first job as a paid coach in 2021. Two summers later, I was offered the opportunity to lead the learn-to-swim program. Though this job entailed lots of time and organizational details, I found it thrilling to teach kids to learn to swim while making memories and friends. This coming summer, I hope to incorporate more games into the program to make it even more enjoyable. My hope is to pass on a love of swimming and to teach others that hard work is never wasted. Though it has been extremely rewarding to coach new swimmers, win individual events, earn points, and lead my team to victory in the final seconds of the girls’ mixed age races, it is not the glory, achievement, accomplishments, or praise that make me love competitive swimming – it is the atmosphere. Swimming has helped me realize that it’s not always winning that makes sports fun, but also the community. I’ve learned that I am at my best when I am focused on the team. Swimming has taught me the important lesson that though you may not be the best, fastest, or strongest teammate, you can still play an important role in your team’s atmosphere, community, and impact on others. I have also learned that there are always ways to improve. Swimming has been an important part of my life by growing me in perseverance and discipline. Although this may be my last summer swimming for LPRC, I hope that the atmosphere that I have had the privilege to contribute to will remain for decades to come, so that future generations of swimmers can experience the thrill of a race well swum and the camaraderie of a unified team.

My name is Kathryn Law, and I am passionate about what I do. I love music, education, and especially English literature and writing. In the near future, I hope to study to become an English teacher so that I might one day instill literacy and a passion for reading great books in children. I have three little brothers and have helped my mom take care of them 24/7 for nearly 11 years, and this spurs me on to become a teacher. I love learning, especially when it comes to English. Because I am passionate about reading and writing, I have decided to follow the career path of a teacher. I have been very blessed to have the opportunity to spend countless hours teaching swim and piano lessons to kids between the ages of 2-13. This has shown me that no matter how old or young students are, it is important that they receive one-on-one attention with a teacher or coach. As the head of the learn-to-swim program at our local community pool this past summer, I had the privilege to lead my peers in the endeavor of teaching 142 children how to swim. Throughout the season, I interacted with swimmers, parents, and peers. The season culminated with a “mini meet,” and I was responsible for organizing all the details to make it run smoothly. There are many aspects of my identity that have shaped my story and my contributions to the community, but all of them have been made possible because of the flexibility homeschooling has given me. I have had numerous opportunities to volunteer, learn unique skills, and serve others because I was homeschooled. I am a hardworking student, consistent and disciplined when I need to be self-directed or self-taught, and I approach learning with an eager attitude. Comparison may be the thief of joy, but it may also be a springboard for gratitude. My dream is to study English, in order to one day teach students the meaningfulness of words and the correct uses of language. I long to instill an admiration for great authors and a passion for writing in students. However, this thought is als0 scary to me due to my anxiety. I’ve wrestled with the fact about leaving for college, away from my family and friends. Though it’s a career that I strongly want to pursue, I was unsure of whether or not I wanted to leave home, my family, and my best friends for an extremely new place where I know absolutely no one. Though this thought is somewhat daunting to me, the support my close friends and family have given me to be courageous and pursue this dream is incredible. I believe that I should be awarded this scholarship not only for my success in academics, but so that one day I’m able to help future students grow through my teaching. I am very passionate about learning, and while I desire to continue my education after high school by obtaining a Bachelor’s degree, I do not plan to stop learning once I have finished formal schooling. I hope that any future education I receive will further my desire to be a lifelong learner. Thank you for your consideration.

I know what you’re thinking, and it’s probably the same thing most people say when I tell them I’m homeschooled – “huh, interesting decision by your parents.” Though that may be a thought by some, there’s a lot more to my story than first meets the eye. My story begins in January of 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. I had met Miss Julie in the fall of 2019, as my mom started teaching part-time at a local collaborative school to help our family earn a little more money, but it wasn’t until now that I had begun to take private piano lessons with her. Miss Julie brought a certain joy about her that to this day she still uses to shed light onto other people. Though the first six months of our piano lessons together were on Zoom, I couldn’t help but fall in love with her teaching style. Miss Julie brought a passionate and excited attitude towards learning, and she taught me complicated things in a way that made sense. I think the most important thing Miss Julie taught me was that nobody can be a perfectionist – or in the words of a good friend, “you can’t be awesome all the time.” As the year unfolded, my parents decided to take a break from full time homeschooling and enroll my brothers at the collaborative K-8 school that my mom was teaching at, and my mom would start working full-time to help cover their tuition. This decision led me to the fact that I was going to have to be more responsible for my learning. Without my mom around to teach me full-time and without being in a classroom learning with others, I ended up sitting in empty classrooms and doing my schoolwork quietly. The program worked out so well for my brothers that my parents decided to re-enroll them the following school year. Though it was subtle, I felt a longing to be in a classroom, and I think Miss Julie felt that during our weekly lessons. She invited me to participate in the Christmas program by being the accompanist, and even offered for me to help her out with the music classes. I quickly warmed up to the idea and began to help her. I was soon referred to as the “volunteer assistant music teacher,” and was able to be the stage manager for several Christmas and spring productions. My time serving as a volunteer teacher’s aid to Miss Julie is something that I hope I will never forget or take for granted. Though this is my brothers’ first year coming back and homeschooling full-time, I cannot imagine what life would be like without Miss Julie. Miss Julie is a very bright lady, and her joy brings others joy. She is a diligent teacher as well as a strong and gifted speaker, and her patience, common sense, humility, and willingness to serve sets her apart from many other teachers. Often you will see a few of these character traits in a teacher, but rarely will you see all of them. Miss Julie and I have worked very closely for all of high school and there’s no one else I would trust more to teach me. I am confident that though I will be separated from Miss Julie as I leave for college this fall, I will never forget how much she influenced my life and my decision to become a teacher. She inspired much, if not all, of my drive to become a teacher, and I am forever indebted to her.

Everyone has a favorite song. Maybe it’s a heartfelt, romantic, sappy song. Maybe it’s a sad, mournful song. No matter what yours is, I’m sure you know all the words and can belt it out whenever it comes on the radio or your car playlist. Music changes the way people view the world, and this is an important fact that we must come to terms with. I’ve grown up going to church every Sunday, but it wasn’t until I started piano lessons that I really fell in love with the hymns that we sang every week. However, as soon as I learned to read music, every hymn that we sang brought new meaning. I was finally able to see which notes came next and how high or low I should make my voice. In other words, music taught me not only to lift my voice in song, but to carefully analyze each note and to ponder the words and their meanings. As my life went on, my parents decided to take a break from full time homeschooling and enroll my brothers at a collaborative K-8 school that my mom was teaching at. My mom started working full-time to help cover their tuition. This decision led me to the fact that I was going to have to be more responsible for my learning – starting in 9th grade. Without my mom around to teach me full-time and without being in a classroom learning with others, I ended up sitting in empty classrooms and doing my schoolwork quietly. The program worked out so well for my brothers that my parents decided to re-enroll them the following school year. Though it was subtle, I felt a longing to be in a classroom, and I think Miss Julie, the music teacher and my private piano teacher, felt that during our weekly lessons. She invited me to participate in the Christmas program by being the accompanist, and even offered for me to help her out with the music classes. I quickly warmed up to the idea and began to help her. I was soon referred to as the “volunteer assistant music teacher,” and was able to be the stage manager for several Christmas and spring productions. My time serving as a volunteer teacher’s aid to Miss Julie is something that I hope I will never forget or take for granted. As high school continued, the musical notes themselves lost a little of their meaning, but the words grew sharper and sharper in my mind. As I sang, I thought deeply about the meaning of the words, and how, in fact, I was singing about myself. One particular song that drew me in was “Amazing Grace,” by John Newton. The first stanza, which reads “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound / That sav’d a wretch like me! / I once was lost, but now am found, / Was blind, but now I see” utterly transfixed me. I began to see how I was a sinner and needed Christ’s sacrifice to save me from eternal punishment in hell. Music literally shaped the way I viewed the world. It helped me to realize that I shouldn’t succumb to the pressures of the world, but to resist temptation and lean on God for salvation. My prayer is that everyone who hears the music of “Amazing Grace” will one day come to see the glory of God face to face, confess their sins, and lean on Christ for eternal salvation.

It’s no secret – I’m an anxious, introverted, high school senior. Unless you happen to be in my pretty small circle of close friends, it’s unlikely you’ll hear me talk. However, it’s also no secret that I love learning, especially when it comes to English. I’m passionate about reading and writing, and it’s something that is easy for me. My dream is to study English, in order to one day teach students the meaningfulness of words and the correct uses of language. I long to instill an admiration for great authors and a passion for writing in students. However, this thought is also scary to me due to my anxiety. I’ve wrestled with the fact of leaving for college, away from my family and friends. Though it’s a career that I strongly want to pursue, I was unsure of whether or not I wanted to leave home, my family, and my best friends for an extremely new place where I know absolutely no one. Though this thought is daunting to me, the support my close friends and family members have given me to be courageous and pursue this dream is incredible. I believe that I should be awarded this scholarship not only for my success in academics, but so that one day I’m able to help future students grow through my teaching. I’m very passionate about learning, and while I desire to further my education after high school by obtaining a Bachelor’s degree, I do not plan to stop learning once I have finished formal schooling. I hope that this education will help others through any future students I may have.

My name is Kathryn Law, and I am passionate about what I do. I love music, education, and especially English literature and writing. In the near future, I hope to study to become an English teacher so that I might one day instill literacy and a passion for reading great books in children. I have three little brothers and have helped my mom take care of them 24/7 for nearly 11 years, and this spurs me on to become a teacher. I am not only responsible with my siblings and academics, but also responsible with my finances. As a young girl, Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder was my favorite book. I spent countless afternoons and evenings reading it over and over again, in the hopes that I might truly understand Laura’s story and writing. Though I thoroughly enjoyed reading it at the time, the children’s book Little House on the Prairie was recently named a “banned book” due to its controversial ideas. Though not universally banned in the U.S., Little House on the Prairie has received much criticism in recent years for its portrayal of indigenous peoples and for presenting a “romanticized” version of frontier life. The series has even been taken out of some schools to shield young readers from these ideas. Though I agree with the fact that young children and even some teens should be protected from controversial forms of communication, such as books, ideas, or speakers, I do not think that the community or government should have the right to ban books that it thinks are racist or wrong. Parents and guardians should get to decide what they or their children expose themselves to while reading, and children should be exposed to some controversy and be allowed to ask their parents or guardians questions about what they’ve read. By reading Little House on the Prairie, I learned that everyone must be exposed to some controversy to have a complete and whole worldview. I hope that through reading Little House on the Prairie, the world would learn to see how controversial ideas can help guide them through learning discernment and wisdom for themselves. Little House on the Prairie taught me that as a future teacher, I shouldn’t be afraid to teach my students about topics that may seem controversial to some. Reading this controversial book showed me that my goal for college is not only to receive my B.A. in English, but to thoroughly learn it so that one day I might teach children the meaningfulness of words and the correct uses of language. We must start teaching the next generation that it doesn’t matter if we read works of literature that some disagree with. Every author works hard on their writing, and it can even be more disrespectful to not read their book(s) than to read them and disagree with the author. I long to instill literacy and an admiration for great authors in the hearts and minds of any and all students I might have, along with the creative and inspiring love of learning to write well. While I desire to further my education after high school by obtaining a Bachelor’s degree, I do not plan to stop learning once I have finished formal schooling. I hope that this goal will spur me on to be a lifelong learner.

“She’s obsessed.” It wasn’t the first time I’d heard those words, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. I’m sure everyone has heard someone say that about them at one point in their lives. Maybe it was about a particular guy or girl. Maybe was about a TV show. For me, however, it was books. I signed up for my first library card at the age of 5 (after maxing my mom's card out weekly) and maxed it out every time I visited the library. I first started reading the Harry Potter books when I was in fourth grade. A bit young, probably, but I read them all over the course of three months – and then I started over. I yearned for my eleventh birthday, so determined was I to go to Hogwarts. I dreamed of what my House would be. At first, I couldn’t figure it out. Everyone wanted to be Griffindor, but I wasn’t sure that was the right House for me. My dark side, of course, leaned towards Slytherin, but I knew deep down that I wasn’t that House either. Finally, I realized that if I were to be sorted into a Hogwarts House, it would 100% be Ravenclaw. Why Ravenclaw, you might ask? Well, while Gryffindor favors the brave, Hufflepuff the kind, and Slytherin the ambitious, Ravenclaw has always chosen the intelligent and wise. I believe that I am a person who is driven by my logic and can read many situations through experiences and circumstances, which are bold characteristics of Ravenclaw students. Since kindergarten, I’ve been homeschooled. You may automatically think that this could be a downside to my story, but I believe that it is a very important and unique characteristic of my life. I have had numerous opportunities to volunteer, serve others, and hone my academic abilities by being homeschooled, and I would be sorted into the Ravenclaw House because of this. I am a hardworking, driven student who is consistent and self-disciplined when I need to be taught. Most importantly, I approach learning with an eager attitude, which is one of the most beloved characteristics of the Ravenclaw House. As the Sorting Hat once said, “In wise old Ravenclaw, if you have a ready mind… those of witty mind and learning will always find their kind.” I believe that this sums up my academic qualities perfectly. My goal for college is to study English so that one day I can teach children the meaningfulness of words and the correct uses of language. I long to instill literacy and an admiration for great authors in the hearts and minds of young students, along with the creative and inspiring love of learning to write well. While I desire to further my education after high school by obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in college, I do not plan to stop learning once I have finished formal schooling. Because I am a Ravenclaw, I desire wholeheartedly to be a lifelong learner.

“I’m homeschooled.” Those two words define not only my schooling, but also my life. For many years, I struggled with the fact that I’ve had a different childhood than many of my peers – and to be honest, this is still a struggle for me at times. I’ll never forget my mother’s response when I first asked if I could go to school like all my friends. “Comparison is the thief of joy,” she said as I complained. I didn’t want to be trademarked as the awkward homeschooled kid who played multiple instruments and thought that TV was only for adults. Though the homeschooling label and its connotations seemed like the end of the world to me for a while, it’s become a part of my story that I’m proud of. To make a sense of my background, you have to start with my parents. My mom comes from a small town in Southern Maryland, and my dad, a military kid, lived all over the place. Now the parents of four children, my mom and dad have worked hard to raise me and my brothers to be more than ordinary kids. They desire for us to love others, work hard, and pursue truth. During the day, you can find my mom diligently teaching me and my brothers to work hard on our schoolwork and strive for excellence not only in academics, but also in sports and other parts of life. My mom has shown me a wonderful example of a teacher, and it’s partly because of her that I’ve decided to pursue teaching. Homeschooling has shaped my story because of the opportunity it has given me to serve and lead others. I have three younger brothers between the grades of 6-9, and I cannot remember a time where I wasn’t helping raise and teach them. While sometimes my siblings annoy me, helping my parents take care of my brothers has caused me to realize just how important role models are in the lives of kids. My brothers look up to me and seek to follow in my footsteps, and it is a tremendous privilege to be an example for them. My mom is our central teacher, but it’s partly the influence of my brothers and the days I’ve gotten to spend helping them learn that has spurred me on to pursue a degree in teaching. I hope that by pursuing a degree in teaching, I can better the world by instilling literacy and an admiration for great authors in the hearts and minds of young students, along with the creative and inspiring love of learning to write well. Specifically, I hope to train students in the art of English by pouring into their lives. A teacher is not a good teacher if they are not passionate about what they do. To be passionate about teaching is to pour into the lives of others. Simply asking students how their lives are, what they hope to accomplish, and giving them important feedback and tips on their writing is something that I hope to accomplish through my work. Having a different background in homeschooling has shown me that a good teacher can connect with students on any level, so long as they try. I hope to teach any future students that through hard work, they can accomplish anything that they desire.

As a young girl, Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder was my favorite book. I spent countless afternoons and evenings reading it over and over again, in the hopes that I might truly understand Laura’s story and writing. Though I thoroughly enjoyed reading it at the time, the children’s book Little House on the Prairie was recently named a “banned book” due to its controversial ideas. Though not universally banned in the U.S., Little House on the Prairie has received much criticism in recent years for its portrayal of indigenous peoples and for presenting a “romanticized” version of frontier life. The series has even been taken out of some schools to shield young readers from these ideas. Though I agree with the fact that young children and even some teens should be protected from controversial forms of communication, such as books, ideas, or speakers, I do not think that the community or government should have the right to ban books that it thinks are racist or wrong. Parents and guardians should get to decide what they or their children expose themselves to while reading, and children should be exposed to some controversy and be allowed to ask their parents or guardians questions about what they’ve read. By reading Little House on the Prairie, I learned that everyone must be exposed to some controversy to have a complete and whole worldview. I hope that through reading Little House on the Prairie, the world will learn to see how controversial ideas can help guide them through learning discernment and wisdom for themselves. Little House on the Prairie taught me that as a future teacher, I shouldn’t be afraid to teach my students about topics that may seem controversial to some. Reading this controversial book showed me that my goal for college is not only to receive my B.A. in English but to study English so that one day, I might teach children the meaningfulness of words and the correct uses of language. We must start teaching this upcoming generation that it doesn’t matter if we read works of literature that some disagree with. Every author works hard on their writing, and it can even be more disrespectful to not read their book(s) than to read them and disagree with the author. I long to instill literacy and an admiration for great authors in the hearts and minds of young students, along with the creative and inspiring love of learning to write well. While I desire to further my education after high school by obtaining a Bachelor’s degree, I do not plan to stop learning once I have finished formal schooling. I hope that this goal will spur me on to be a lifelong learner.

I know what you’re thinking, and it’s probably the same thing most people say when I tell them I’m homeschooled – “huh, interesting decision by your parents.” Though that may be a thought by some, there’s a lot more to my story than first meets the eye. My story begins in January 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. I had met Miss Julie, one of the other teachers at the school in the fall of 2019, as my mom started teaching part-time at a local collaborative school to help our family earn a little more money, but it wasn’t until now that I had begun to take private piano lessons with her. Miss Julie brought a certain joy about her that to this day she still uses to shed light onto other people. Though the first six months of our piano lessons together were on Zoom, I couldn’t help but fall in love with her teaching style. Miss Julie brought a passionate and excited attitude towards learning, and she taught me complicated things in a way that made sense. I think the most important thing Miss Julie taught me was that nobody can be a perfectionist – or in the words of a good friend, “you can’t be awesome all the time.” As the year unfolded, my parents decided to take a break from full-time homeschooling and enroll my brothers at the collaborative K-8 school that my mom was teaching at, and my mom would start working full-time to help cover their tuition. This decision led me to the fact that I was going to have to be more responsible for my learning. Without my mom around to teach me full-time and without being in a classroom learning with others, I ended up sitting in empty classrooms and doing my schoolwork quietly. The program worked out so well for my brothers that my parents decided to re-enroll them the following school year. Though it was subtle, I felt a longing to be in a classroom, and I think Miss Julie felt that during our weekly lessons. She invited me to participate in the Christmas program by being the accompanist, and even offered for me to help her out with the music classes. I quickly warmed up to the idea and began to help her. I was soon referred to as the “volunteer assistant music teacher,” and was able to be the stage manager for several Christmas and spring productions. My time serving as a volunteer teacher’s aide to Miss Julie is something that I hope I will never forget or take for granted. Though this is my brother’s first year coming back and homeschooling full-time, I cannot imagine what life would be like without Miss Julie. I am continuing weekly lessons with her and am now preparing for a senior solo performance. Miss Julie is a very bright lady, and her joy brings others joy. She is a diligent teacher as well as a strong and gifted speaker, and her patience, common sense, humility, and willingness to serve sets her apart from many other teachers. Often you will see a few of these character traits in a teacher, but rarely will you see all of them. Miss Julie and I have worked very closely for all of high school and there’s no one else I would trust more to teach me. I am confident that though I will be separated from Miss Julie as I leave for college this fall, I will never forget how much she influenced my life and my decision to become a teacher.

Everyone has a favorite song. Maybe it’s a heartfelt, romantic, sappy song. Maybe it’s a sad, mournful song. No matter what yours is, I’m sure you know all the words and can belt it out whenever it comes on the radio or your car playlist. Music changes the way people view the world, and this is an important fact that we must come to terms with. I’ve grown up going to church every Sunday, but it wasn’t until I started piano lessons that I really fell in love with the hymns that we sang every week. I will always remember November 2014 – the month in which I took my first piano lesson. To twist what Neil Armstrong said, it may have been one small step for most humans, but it was a giant leap for me. My teacher’s name was Ms. Melody (ironic, right?), and then and there, I fell in love with music. She brought a passionate and excited attitude towards learning, and she taught me complicated things in a way that made sense to a young 7-year-old brain like mine. I think the most important thing Ms. Melody taught me was that nobody can be a perfectionist – or in the words of a good friend, “you can’t be awesome all the time, so stop trying to be.” As soon as I learned to read music, every hymn that we sang brought new meaning. I was finally able to see which notes came next and how high or low I should make my voice. In other words, music taught me not only to lift my voice in song, but to carefully analyze each note and to ponder the words and their meanings. As I grew older, the notes lost a little more of their meaning, but the words grew sharper and sharper in my mind. As I sang, I thought deeply about the meaning of the words, and how, in fact, I was singing about myself. One particular song that drew me in was “Amazing Grace,” by John Newton. The first stanza, which reads “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound / That sav’d a wretch like me! / I once was lost, but now am found, / Was blind, but now I see” utterly transfixed me. I began to see how I was a sinner and needed Christ’s sacrifice to save me from eternal punishment in hell. Music literally shaped the way I viewed the world. It helped me to realize that I shouldn’t succumb to the pressures of the world, but to resist temptation and lean on God for salvation. My prayer is that everyone who hears the music of “Amazing Grace” will one day come to see the glory of God face to face, confess their sins, and lean on Christ for eternal salvation.

If I could have everyone in the world read just one book, it would be Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. As a young girl, Little House on the Prairie was my favorite book, and I spent many afternoons and evenings reading it over and over again. Though I thoroughly enjoyed reading it at the time, the children’s book Little House on the Prairie was recently named a “banned book” due to its controversial ideas. Though not universally banned in the U.S., Little House on the Prairie has received much criticism in recent years for its portrayal of indigenous peoples and for presenting a “romanticized” version of frontier life and has even been taken out of some schools to shield young readers from these ideas. Though I agree with the fact that young children and even some teens should be protected from controversial forms of communication, such as books, ideas, or speakers, I do not think that the community or government should have the right to ban books that it thinks are racist or wrong. Parents and guardians should get to decide what they or their children expose themselves to while reading, and children should be exposed to some controversy and be allowed to ask their parents or guardians questions about what they’ve read. I would have everyone read Little House on the Prairie in order to be exposed to controversy. I hope that through reading Little House on the Prairie, the world would learn to see how controversial ideas can help guide them through learning discernment and wisdom for themselves. I wholeheartedly recommend that you read Little House on the Prairie if you have not yet done so.

In the future, I hope to better the world by becoming an English teacher and instilling literacy and an admiration for great authors in the hearts and minds of young students, along with the creative and inspiring love of learning to write well.

All children lean heavily on their parents to support them. It’s in our nature – everyone begins life as a helpless infant who is completely unable to solve any problems on his own. Though it’s important for parents to take care of their children, young people don’t have to wait until they are adults before beginning to manage their own finances. Making a plan for saving, restraining yourself from spending hard-earned money, and having long-term goals are all great ways to manage your finances well. As a college student, it is very important to manage your finances well in order to enter adulthood with financial freedom. Though many students find the prospect of college debt to be overwhelming, it is crucial to stay on top of your spending and saving and to plan for the future. Sadly, during college, many students go into credit card debt. This is piled on top of thousands of dollars worth of student loan debts, leaving many students completely out of money before even beginning adulthood. Though sometimes there is no other choice but to take out a student loan, there are several ways that students can avoid other types of debt. There are even simple things that I am using even now in high school. When I first began working, my dad helped me set up a savings account with an online banking system. He suggested that every couple of months, I should transfer some of the money from my checking account into my savings account, where it would gain more interest. This was not only a wise decision, but it also helped me think a lot more about how much I wanted to spend and how much I should save. This habit continued as I grew older and began working more hours. Now, I am managing my spending and saving completely on my own. One way I plan to save is to make a list of everything that I might possibly need to buy, and keep just a little over that amount in my checking account. Similarly, having separate checking and savings accounts helps me exercise spending restraint. Though I know that I am able to access the money in my savings account if I need to, I try not to think about the money that I have saved and instead only spend the money that I keep in my checking account. Having separate accounts deters unnecessary spending because it’s an annoying process to move money from one account to the other. Additionally, it is critical for students to create personal financial goals for their spending and saving. Taking the long view not only prepares you for the future, but can also help you avoid spending money unnecessarily. Whether your goals are small or big, setting goals for yourself can properly motivate you to make wise decisions. One of the most important things that a young student can do is to properly save and spend so that they do not go into unnecessary debt. When tempted to spend money on unnecessary expenses, students should stand strong against temptation and remember the old saying, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”