I grew up in a small farming town called Newdale, Idaho. I am the oldest child of six. My parents got divorced when I was eight years old. My siblings and I live with my dad and my stepmom. Throughout high school, I have worked hard to get good grades. I love to learn new things, even when it is difficult. I pushed myself hard to understand the subjects I struggled with. I enjoy music, art, and reading. I am a member of the advanced choir at my high school. I also play the piano and the guitar. During the summer of 2022, I worked for the City of Sugar City. I mowed lawns and did maintenance work. I enjoyed it. I love to be outside. I love working hard and doing hands-on things. I plan to get a degree in architecture. I will be attending Brigham Young University-Idaho in the fall of 2023. I will be majoring in Virtual Design and Construction. I originally planned on getting a degree in interior design. I enjoy creating appealing spaces in homes. As a child, I would rearrange my room practically every week. However, as much as I loved interior design, I realized I loved architecture more. When I was a little girl, I begged my dad to teach me how to understand a floor plan and create my own. I enjoy creating floor plans and imagining how the house will look once completed. I prefer drawing by hand, but I am excited to learn to use CAD software. I enjoy the process of planning homes. I also enjoy building things and doing hands-on projects. I grew up in an old, small house. My dad always had a project for me to work on, whether it was remodeling, adding on, or fixing things. Growing up, I learned many construction skills while helping my dad with many of his various projects. I’ve worked on small projects, from building a chicken coop to installing carpet. I’ve also worked on larger projects like remodeling a garage to function as a room or expanding a master bedroom. Helping my dad with projects and learning from him led to my love of construction. I would enjoy building homes. Overall, my interests and experiences are why I decided to pursue a career in architecture. I love thinking about the layout of homes, and I love to work on hands-on projects. I have loved the architectural experience I’ve gained while working with my dad. I believe architecture will be a career I can love and enjoy for the rest of my life.

As a kid, I would earn small amounts of money here and there. My parents taught me to save my money instead of spending it the moment I got it. I remember my first piggy bank was an empty peanut butter container. I cleaned it out and cut a hole in the lid. I was always so excited when I could drop another coin into it. When I finally had enough money saved, my dad opened a savings account for me at the bank. I remember being really excited. I have continued to save my money. Most of the money I have saved has been set aside for college. I have always had a goal of graduating from college debt-free. It has become ordinary for people to graduate from college with a huge student loan debt. Most people think that student loan debt is necessary to get an education. However, it is often almost impossible to pay off. I don’t want that to happen to me. Graduating debt-free will allow me to live the life I want instead of being stuck paying off student loans. I do several things to manage my finances to get me closer to achieving my goal. The most important thing I have done to manage my finances is to save my money. I am naturally a saver, so this hasn’t been too hard for me. Learning how to save money is an essential habit that will lead to financial success. However, saving money doesn’t mean someone can’t have fun. I believe that someone can still have fun spending money while saving it. Saving my money has given me a sense of security. I know it will continue to provide that sense of financial stability if I put aside funds for emergencies and my future. I have also managed my finances by creating a monthly budget and sticking to it to the best of my ability. I have started this recently. Even though I am still living at home with my parents, it is a good idea for me to start budgeting now. If I get used to budgeting now, I will be much better at it when I am older. Making and following a budget is the key to managing finances well. Managing my finances now, while I’m still young, is crucial. Saving money and budgeting at a young age will help me in the future. I am developing good habits now while I am a student. When I am on my own, I will already be used to doing things that will help me keep my finances under control. Making plans for my future now will help me be financially stable in the future.

There is nothing like starting with a blank canvas and creating something original. When I am painting, I immerse myself in my work. I quickly lose track of time and forget everything else as I focus on creating something new. Something is captivating about creating a piece of art and making it my own. When painting, I can change whatever I want on the canvas. I enjoy exploring different styles of artwork. I try not to limit myself. I also enjoy experimenting with various mediums. Each medium has aspects that make each unique and challenging. I love pushing myself to create something new. I have taken many art classes throughout the years. They have taught me many new techniques and have helped me hone my skills. I also enjoy viewing the work of other artists. It inspires me to see what others have done. It gives me ideas on how I might improve my artwork. As I have admired the artwork of other artists, I have discovered many pieces of art that speak to me and have become very important to me. The Hand of God, painted by Yongsung Kim, is one of these influential pieces. The piece depicts a scene from the New Testament. Peter, one of Christ’s apostles, sees Christ walking on water. He then walks on water toward Christ. When he begins to have doubts, he sinks and begins to drown. Christ lifts Peter and saves him. The painting depicts this story with a unique perspective. Instead of seeing Christ and Peter together, you only see Christ. The viewer sees the artwork as if they were Peter. Not only does this piece of art have great religious significance to me, but it is also an incredible work of art. It is very intriguing because the viewer sees the scene from a unique perspective. Other artists depict this scene as if the viewer is standing to the side, watching the event unfold. Kim’s painting, however, places the viewer in Peter’s position. The viewer of the painting sees Christ as if they were the one under the water. The different point of view results in a very intriguing and captivating piece of art. Youngsung Kim’s The Hand of God inspires me. His unique perspective in the painting motivates me to be more creative and unique in my artwork. Viewing the work of great artists such as Youngsung Kim has driven my passion for the arts and spurred me to pursue developing my skills in creating art.

Growing up, I was taught to get to work. As a child, I learned the importance of not putting things off. I often thought I had all the time in the world to do something. I reasoned that I could do it later. However, I've come to realize that this is not the case. The song "Til You Can't" by Cody Johnson has always been meaningful to me. In the song, the artist talks about things he puts off. He reasons that he can always do them another day. Until he can't. What stands out to me in the song is that I can keep putting things off or I can get to work. I might think that I have time to do something later. However, I will never know what will happen in the future. Unexpected things happen. In the song, Cody Johnson says, "If you've got a chance take it." Putting things off is never going to get me anywhere. Hard work and perseverance are what will take me where I want to be in life. Cody Johnson's song "Til You Can't" reminds me that I should never take the time I have for granted. I don't know what will happen in my future, so I should get to work now.