At nine years old, my life changed dramatically. My third-grade teacher and her husband, the pastor of a local church, adopted me, and I went from seeing my siblings daily to only seeing them once a week. While this disruption could have derailed me, I instead used it as motivation to excel academically and personally. I sought stability in school, challenging myself in honors and AP classes and striving for academic excellence. I also embraced extracurricular activities that have shaped my character, values, and goals. One of the most significant influences in my life has been my involvement in agriculture. I joined FFA in sixth grade and quickly developed a passion for the field. Agriculture gave me a sense of purpose and direction during a time when I was trying to find my place in the world. As a high school student, I’ve been an FFA officer for three years and participated in numerous Career Development Events (CDEs), with the Dairy Handling CDE being one of my favorites. Despite having no prior experience, I placed third in the state, an achievement that taught me resilience and the value of stepping outside my comfort zone. My involvement in agriculture was further solidified through South Carolina’s Commissioner’s School for Agriculture (SCCSA). This experience not only confirmed my passion for the field but also helped me discover my long-term goals. It inspired me to pursue a degree in Animal and Veterinary Sciences at Clemson University, where I plan to prepare for a career as a large animal veterinarian and small farm owner. I want to support sustainable agriculture, improve animal health, and advocate for farming communities—ensuring that farmers and their animals have the resources they need to thrive. Beyond agriculture, I’ve taken on other leadership roles and extracurricular activities, including 4-H, JROTC, cheerleading, track and field, and the National Honor Society. Each activity has taught me valuable lessons: teamwork, individual responsibility, leadership, and the importance of serving my community. These experiences, combined with my agricultural involvement, have shaped me into a determined and adaptable individual. My passion for agriculture and my determination to achieve my goals has given me a clear vision for my future. I plan to make a positive impact on the world by supporting the farming industry, improving animal care, and promoting sustainability. Through hard work, resilience, and the education I will receive at Clemson University, I am confident that I can turn these aspirations into reality. Despite the challenges I faced at a young age, I’ve stayed true to my dreams and am ready to make a difference in the world.

Nine is a pivotal age. It marks the threshold between early childhood and the transition to more complex stages of growth and understanding. At nine, you begin to grasp that the world is bigger and more intricate than you ever imagined. It’s the last year of innocence before you step into double digits and your perspective of life starts to shift. Your education evolves beyond the simple foundations of reading, writing, and arithmetic, and your awareness of relationships, identity, and responsibility deepens. For me, nine was the year everything changed. It was the year my life, as I knew it, was turned upside down due to addiction. My third-grade teacher and her husband, the pastor of a local church my aunt and uncle attended, adopted me. In a single moment, the familiar rhythm of my life—my family, my siblings, my home—was disrupted. I went from seeing my brother and sister every single day to only seeing them on Sundays, and even that felt fleeting. It wasn’t just about adjusting to a new household; it was about navigating the overwhelming challenge of finding my place in a family that wasn’t mine by birth. At nine, I was expected to integrate into a new environment and create bonds with people who cared for me but didn’t yet know me. What made this especially difficult was that I was still trying to figure out who I was. Nine is a developmental year in so many ways—not just academically or socially, but internally. You’re beginning to form your sense of identity, to figure out what you like, what you believe, and who you want to become. Being uprooted and placed into a new family magnified this process for me. I had to wrestle with questions most nine-year-olds don’t have to face: Where do I belong? Who do I trust? How do I adapt without losing myself? Despite the emotional challenges, I made a conscious decision not to let my circumstances dictate my success. I refused to let the upheaval disrupt my grades, my social life, or my goals. The school became my anchor. I poured myself into my studies, finding solace in the structure and predictability of learning. I worked hard to maintain friendships, even when my new life felt isolating. I set goals for myself and held onto them as a way to create a sense of control in a world that had shifted beneath my feet. Looking back, I realize that this experience taught me resilience. It forced me to grow up in ways I wasn’t ready for but ultimately benefited from. At nine, I learned to adapt, to persevere, and to seek stability within myself when the external world seemed uncertain. These lessons stayed with me and shaped the person I would become. Nine wasn’t just a year of change; it was a year of transformation, laying the foundation for a strength I didn’t know I had. In conclusion, addiction was present early on in life. It was something I was accustomed to. However, I did not let it hold me back. I want to be better than the stereotypes of "drug addict kids". I am the oldest sibling and I will set the example for them. I will graduate from college. I will have a career helping others as well as serving my county in the National Guard. I am so much better than the addiction that defined my early childhood. I grew and learned so much from it.

Nine. It is an important age. Nine is the last year before you turn double digits. Your classes become more than just A, B, C and 1, 2, 3. Nine is a developmental year. It is before everything changes. When I was nine, my life as I knew it fell apart. In short, my third-grade teacher and her husband, the pastor of a local church that my aunt and uncle attended, adopted me. I went from seeing my brother and sister every day to seeing them once every Sunday. I had to find my place in a whole new family. This can be challenging for a child that has not even found her place within herself yet one thing did not change. Since I was a child, I have pretty much known what I wanted to do. I want to major in Animal and Veterinary Sciences at Clemson University. I want to become a large animal veterinarian and own a practice. These were my goals. These goals have not changed since I was nine years old. They are still my goals, and I am doing my best to make these happen. However, in my freshman year of high school, I joined JROTC. I originally joined because many people told me I would not. I do not like for people to doubt me. I fell in love with our program though. I have learned so much about myself and my leadership skills through JROTC. My favorite JROTC memory was last summer at Junior Cadet Leadership Challenge (JCLC). I met some amazing people that I continue to talk to every day, and I learned many skills that I can use in every aspect of my life. I was against joining the military for a long while. I always told Lieutenant Colonel Delacruz, a JROTC instructor at my high school, that I was going to attend college to become a veterinarian with no military involvement. It was not until my senior year of high school that I realized I could be in the military and have my dream job as a veterinarian. I ended up enlisting in the South Carolina Army National Guard (SCARNG) on Valentine’s Day. I will be attending Clemson University in the fall as a member of the ROTC Battalion and a member of the National Guard. I want to become a Veterinary Corps Officer where I will care for government animals and service members' beloved pets. I would also be able to participate in research whether it is for vaccines or eradicating diseases. I could even be given the opportunity to teach veterinary medicine to people in other countries. This has been added to the dream however I have recently learned that in South Carolina we only have one veterinarian in the SCARNG. This means I will have to work much harder. I want to be the second veterinarian in the SCARNG. It will be a long and challenging process, but I have the perseverance, determination, and passion to make this dream come true. I will be able to make a positive influence on many people whether through my research or teaching of skills. When I am able to accomplish my dreams of becoming a veterinarian in the South Carolina Army National Guard, I will be paving the way for others and may be able to build the Veterinary Corps in South Carolina. I could show the people in Seneca, South Carolina, my hometown, that a girl that stepped out of her comfort zone made a difference by following her dreams while serving in the United States armed forces.

Nine. It is an important age. Nine is the last year before you turn double digits. Your classes become more than just A, B, C and 1, 2, 3. Nine is a developmental year. It is before everything changes. When I was nine, my life as I knew it fell apart. In short, my third-grade teacher and her husband, the pastor of a local church that my aunt and uncle attended, adopted me. I went from seeing my brother and sister every day to seeing them once every Sunday. I had to find my place in a whole new family. This can be challenging for a child that has not even found her place within herself. I did not let this affect my grades, social life, or goals. I challenge myself academically. When my adoption was first happening I did not let it affect my grades. I began to push myself harder because school became a place of normalcy. This continued through middle and high school. I have taken many APs. I have been on the Principal’s Honor Roll for my school, Seneca High School, every single year. I have been able to accomplish this even though I did not have a traditional home life in my major developmental years. I have allowed myself to have a healthy social life. I joined FFA while I was in the sixth grade. I quickly grew a passion for agriculture and wanted to thrive in my organization. While I was not able to do much in middle school, I have taken advantage of the opportunities my high school’s chapter has offered. I have been on the officer team for three years, and I have participated in many career development events (CDEs). My favorite CDE so far has been the Dairy Handling CDE. I had never shown a cow or heifer before, but I finished third in the state. I will admit that there were only five competitors. I was also able to attend South Carolina’s Commissioner School for Agriculture (SCCSA) through my FFA Chapter. SCCSA showed me what I wanted to do in my life. It solidified that I wanted to major in Animal and Veterinary Science. It helped to develop skills that make me a strong agricultural leader. Since I was a child, I have pretty much known what I wanted to do. I want to own and operate a small farm. I want to major in Animal and Veterinary Sciences. I want to become a large animal veterinarian and own a practice. These were my goals. They did not change when I was nine years old. These are still my goals. I am doing my best to make this happen. I want to make this as true as possible by attending Clemson in the fall. It is also the best school for me to receive the best education and fulfill all of my other goals. My life imploded, but I stayed true to what I wanted in the future. To conclude, I have done everything possible to keep myself on track. I challenge myself academically through rigorous classes and perform in them to the best of my ability. I participate in many extracurricular activities. These activities teach me valuable life and leadership skills that I can use in college and in my future career. I also did not let the disruption in my family derail my goals. I plan to continue my future in agriculture and know that Clemson University is my best shot at making what I want to happen.

I am Lana Hendricks. I am a senior at Seneca High School in Seneca, South Carolina. I have taken many Honors and AP classes. I am a part of FFA, JROTC, cheerleading, track and field, Interact Club, and NHS at my high school. I joined JROTC during my freshman year. I originally joined because many people told me I would not. I do not like for people to doubt me. I fell in love with our program though. I have learned so much about myself and my leadership skills through JROTC. I also compete in two sports, Varsity Cheerleading and Track and Field. Cheerleading has taught me teamwork and the importance of encouraging others. While throwing shot put and discus for the track team, I learned the importance of individuality. The sports I participate in have taught me how to be myself while being a part of something bigger. I am also a part of the National Honors Society, NHS, and Interact Club. They emphasize the importance of service learning. They really make me feel as if I am making a difference in my community. Since I was a child, I have pretty much known what I wanted to do. I want to be a veterinarian. This has always been my dream, and it is becoming more and more real the quicker I get to high school graduation. I hope to become a large animal veterinarian. My love for animals started young but really began to flourish when I joined the National FFA Organization. I joined FFA while I was in the sixth grade. I quickly grew a passion for agriculture and wanted to thrive in my organization. While I was not able to do much in middle school, I have taken advantage of the opportunities my high school’s chapter has offered. I have been on the officer team for three years, and I have participated in many career development events (CDE). I was also able to attend South Carolina’s Commissioner School for Agriculture (SCCSA) through my FFA Chapter. SCCSA really showed me what I wanted to do in my life. It solidified that I wanted to attend Clemson University and I wanted to major in Animal and Veterinary Science. It helped to develop skills that make me a strong agricultural leader. I plan to continue working with animals for the rest of my life. I have enlisted in the South Carolina Army National Guard and plan to commission as an officer. After my commission, I plan to be a Veterinary Corps Officer. I will be able to practice in three main areas: animal medicine, veterinary public health, and research and development. I will care for government-owned animals such as K-9 and parol horses and pets of service members. In my civilian life, I will be able to practice on my own. I will be able to care for the many animals in my community though my true passion is in livestock. I hope to be able to create a program in the future to help the many homeless people that own pets. People around my community are less fortunate and they own animals, but can not get the care needed for them causing the animals to be neglected or for them to be given up. I would love to make it possible for the animals to get the care they deserve and for their owners to have somewhere to go for help. I want to make a real difference in my community. I have a passion for helping animals and want to create change through it.

Nine. It is an important age. Nine is the last year before you turn double digits. Your classes become more than just A, B, C, and 1, 2, 3. Nine is a developmental year. It is before everything changes. When I was nine, my life as I knew it fell apart. In short, my third-grade teacher and her husband, the pastor of a local church my aunt and uncle attended, adopted me. I went from seeing my brother and sisters every day to seeing them once every Sunday. I had to find my place in a whole new family all because of addiction. This can be challenging for a child that has not even found her place within herself. Both of my biological parents were addicted to prescription opioids. The first time it actually affected me, I was in 4K. My younger brother and I had to live with a foster family. We did not know these people, but we were together. We were eventually allowed to go back with our parents. Soon after, my little sister was born. I knew then I had to raise both of my siblings because my parents were unable to do so. I kept things afloat until I was nine. We were all three placed with my aunt and uncle. They also had two children. This became difficult for them to do, so we needed a new solution. We were each adopted into different families while in elementary school. However, I did not let this affect my grades, social life, or goals. When my adoption happened, I did not let it affect my grades. I began to push myself harder because school became a place of normalcy. I tested well on my state test and began to be in honors classes. This continued through middle and high school. I have taken many APs and honors classes. I have been able to accomplish this even though I did not have a traditional home life in my major developmental years. I have allowed myself to have a healthy social life. I have joined FFA, JROTC, 4-H, cheerleading, track and field, Interact, and NHS. I am also an active member of my church. Though my childhood started roughly, I have not allowed it to prevent me from being a very active participant in my school and community. Since I was a child, I have pretty much known what I wanted to do. I want to own and operate a small farm. I want to major in Animal and Veterinary Sciences at Clemson University, and I wanted to be a part of the military. These were my goals. They did not change when I was nine years old. These are still my goals. I am doing my best to make these happen. I have enlisted in the National Guard. I have also been accepted into Clemson’s Animal and Veterinary Sciences program. My life imploded, but I stayed true to what I wanted in the future. To conclude, I have done everything to exceed people’s expectations of me. Many people expected me to end up like my biological family. High school dropouts with no future, but I refuse. I will go to college and make something of myself. This experience with addiction as a young child has become my motivation. I was indirectly affected by drug addiction, but I will not let it be my future. My siblings and I are now thriving in our giant, beautifully mixed family. I would not change anything that happened because I have learned and matured into the young lady I am today.