My journey in faith truly began in eighth grade. Throughout my life I’ve heard many sermons. I've seen the name of Jesus cast demons out and walked to more altar calls than I can count, but everything changed in 2023. In 2023 I attended a church conference. At the conference, I was sitting in my chair with my head bowed, weeping as I experienced the overwhelming presence of God. It was here where I decided to give my life to Christ. Entering high school as a freshman, quickly put my faith to the test. God began opening my eyes to the reality of my environment: the person I was pretending to be around my friends was not who He called me to be. At the time, my daily life revolved around fitting in—fooling around on the school bus, keeping up appearances, and running with a crowd heading in a direction that wasn't right for me. Recognizing that these influences were pulling me away from the lord, I made the difficult decision to step back from those friendships and change how I lived. Looking back now as a high school senior, I see how God protected me during that transition. Last school year, one of my peers, whom I called my best friend in middle school, is currently facing severe consequences, including expulsion and legal trouble, for violation of privacy on school grounds. But I do not share this from a place of pride, nor do I pretend that I have it all figured out. As Romans 3:23 reminds us, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Every day is still a battle. I make mistakes, I fall, and I continually struggle to keep my focus entirely on the Lord and seek His presence the way I want to. I am not perfect, and I am no better than anyone else. While I am currently undecided on my specific career path, I know that entering college will bring a whole new set of distractions and challenges. Yet it is precisely because of the weaknesses that I rely on my faith. I know I cannot navigate college or my future career on my own strength. My relationship with God is an ongoing journey of surrender, giving me the grace to pick myself back up when I fall, stay humble, and keep striving toward the path He has for me.