Wicked means so much to me on so many levels. I love the soundtrack, musical, and movie adaptation. I cannot wait for part two to be released in theaters. But on a deeper level, recognizing the actual message and political undertones makes this musical so important to me. I love musical theater; whether I am watching a show or performing in a musical, I am enjoying it. Wicked has such a good soundtrack. “Dancing Through Life” and “Popular” have upbeat tempos and are fun to dance around to. “No One Mourns the Wicked”, “The Wizard and I”, and “Defying Gravity” are so fun to sing. Those features alone make this show really good, but the character dynamics really make the audience feel even more connected to the plot. I really do love this show, and Galinda is one of my dream roles, and I really hope I can play her one day. However, a fun beat is not all this musical has to offer. A feature that makes music even more important to me is the political undertones in relation to our current political climate. Wicked has an incredible message about fraud in positions of power and how minorities are treated. The Wizard in Wicked, being a fraud and not actually the good man everyone believed him to be, is representative of the real world. Many political figures have done and hidden problematic things to keep up a good image. Also in Wicked, we see Elphaba being judged due to her skin being green, which is clearly representative of racism. Still, the way you see the Animals in Wicked being stripped of their rights and imprisoned represents the way minority groups are treated and looked down upon. This happens all around the world. Seeing these things described in a musical can help people recognize them within their lives. Both the fun music and the profound message of Wicked are why I love this show so much. I will continue listening to the soundtrack, watching the movie, and dancing and singing around my bedroom to the music. But I will also keep anying the valid message of the show because recognizing all the aspects of the show makes it an even better experience.

Teaching has always called to me as my future. The defining moment for me was while I was volunteering for the local elementary school's musical. I was helping kids highlight and learn music, which was easy for most of them because they were in grades three through five. However, some kids were struggling, and for me, while I was helping them, being able to see the moment they started to understand brought me so much fulfillment. That's when I knew I wanted to be an elementary school teacher. I understand how vital teachers are; they are the ones guiding young people's minds and shaping the future generation. However, teachers do so much more than that. They provide a safe space for students, and can be the person who helps a kid through tough times. During my years at school, I have never had a teacher who was honestly there for me. I hope to be there for students where teachers were never there for me. For me, helping kids, no matter how small a help I can be, is so important. And I hope, when I become a teacher, that I will leave a positive impact on students. Helping them however I can. College was always something that stressed me out because of the money aspect. College has a lot of expenses, including tuition, room and board, textbooks, and other basic living expenses. Receiving this scholarship would take a weight off my shoulders. This scholarship will allow me to focus more on my studies, which leaves me more time to participate in extracurricular activities in college. It would also leave me more time to volunteer, which has always been important to me. I have been volunteering since I was a freshman in high school, and I plan to continue volunteering through adulthood. Plus, keeping my grades high is very important to me, and having time to focus on school is extremely important to me. Receiving this scholarship would encourage me in my future education. Knowing that the scholarship was in memory of Owen would make me, as a student, feel directly encouraged by Owen, especially knowing his background of support towards students. In my future career, I will pay tribute to the memory of Owen by helping my students in any way I can. Reading that Owen spent his life supporting students was truly inspiring because that is how I want to spend my career. Being an elementary teacher means being there for students at the start of their educational journey. I want to be an elementary teacher who truly leaves an impact on my students. Leaving a positive impact on a child while they are still very young and impressionable is incredibly important. I want to be a teacher students will remember as they grow up for positive reasons. I want to make as impactful an impact on students as Owen did, and I will teach my students to value every day.