The song with the most important message to me would have to be the song Vincent by Don McLean. The song embodies a troubling, troubling stage of grief that the singer or narrator is expressing. Their acceptance of the fact that little Vincent has killed himself and has never truly felt one in this world that we live in. It highlights how we or anyone can genuinely be Vincent, and it elicits a feeling of love through pain, life through death, and death through life. As a choir kid who went to a school that went through many deaths and many shootings and lost a lot of its students to gun violence and whatnot, the song Vincent really touched my heart. The song inspires me to continue to love the people I have close to me harder and even love myself a little more. My favorite part is towards the end. When the song goes " And when no hope was left inside on that starry starry night, You took your life as lovers often do. But I could have told you, Vincent, this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you." (Don Mclean) That verse alone is something anyone can relate to. A time when they didn't feel like they belonged. A time when it hurt t be alive and nothing made sense. But look at us now. There is always a better place to be. It's all just a matter of how you get there.

Going into high school I was ready to dabble in any and everything I possibly could. I do it all! From academics to sports to the arts, to clubs. I even run my own club. All 4 years at my high school I was in some form of student leadership, theater arts, Some form of public speaking, and of course any form of sport. Even during the pandemic! Since freshman year I've accomplished a lot athletically. I mean what can I say, I'm a female jock. From being nominated 2nd team all-conference 2 years in a row, to being nominated to play in the all-star game senior year. I’ve been nominated MVP every season and player of the game 14 times between volleyball and basketball, to even competing in state competitions for field events of track and field. I got invited to the basketball all-star game for the women's ALL CITY showcase as well but sadly it was canceled due to one of my classmates on the boy's side of the showcase being shot. But it doesn’t stop there, I’m also involved in speech and debate, and student leadership, and I'm the assistant director of my elite choir. Now as a senior, I have a goal to beat my high school shot put record, show out at this year's remaining showcases, and leave a mark at my high school. I can give a big thank you to sports for teaching me time management and encouraging me to get gd grades and challenge myself by taking concurrent enrollment courses at my school. Even if I was tired I still had work to do and I was inspired by sports to keep doing it. To describe my high school, it definitely wants a diamond in the rough. Quite frankly it was horrible enough to start from the beginning. As we know 2020 (my freshman) was cut into by covid and though the online aspect didn't affect me and I did pretty well, the return did. The year 2020 was chaos, as if a pandemic where millions of people were dying wasn’t stress-inducing enough too many people were dying of gun violence too. Right before we returned to school in my junior year I lost one of my closest childhood friends to gun violence. Then Shortly after we returned to school before Thanksgiving break, a gang-affiliated shooting between students took place right outside of my school. With one of my closest friends dead and one in jail, I was a little broken, as I'm a person who tries to elevate people with me. So much happened my junior year I became numb to it all so quickly. Everyone was losing it, as expected, but I tried to make the best out of what I could and I feel like I did. If it wasn't for sports I would have lost myself and fallen into the darkness that engulfed my school.

Community service, no matter what it is, is a very humbling and Essential Experience. In a world where many are focused on superficial and selfish desires, simple community service acts really prove that there is still love and Care in this world. It even motivates others to let go of their selfish desires and genuinely just do a good deed to help the community they live in. Community service can be something as simple as educating. Personally, I believe that educating your community is the best way to help your community thrive. The more education you put in the more support systems and programs are created to help those in need and make a better economy. I want nothing more than to leave a legacy. Which is exactly why I put a group together.With some of the most strong-hearted, reliable, and Powerful black students In my school. We created a group called legacy a group that partakes in slam poetry, creative dance, step, and music. In preparation for a cultural festival. We took time to study black history And create a powerful performance, calling out the cultural approp riation that takes place and the normalization of our culture and our culture struggles. I've always been a natural leader, but this was one of the hardest things that I ever pulled off. But now we go perform and educate others in our community. I yearn to document major mental health fluctuations and draw as much attention to this crisis as possible. I'm on a mission to become a neuropsychologist, conducting research and advocating for the mass majority of people suffering from poor mental health and trauma that plagues America and the world today. I also intend to open my recreational facility to introduce an outreach center for all ages providing all forms of trauma therapy, therapy for disabilities, and overall healing shelters for whoever is in need. From singing to yoga to mindfulness trips to development and so much more, I plan to give people a wide variety of options to take charge of their minds, bodies, and lives however they see fit and inspire them to feel comfortable in their own skin. Last summer I went to a few leadership programs. One I was particularly inspired by was a business camp I did at Denver University, where we were introduced to a plethora of bosses! There were so many people of all beautiful shades and backgrounds. We even got to get a taste of marketing through a pitch competition to boost sales at a local business, and I won. These people inspired me to keep grinding and chasing my dreams and stop for nothing that facetiously tries to stop me. They opened my eyes to see that where I'm at now and who I am now is not who I'm going to be or where ill will be in a few years or even months. They showed me that no matter who I am I only need to be great for myself. I wish nothing but to inspire others the same way.

To leave a legacy is one of my biggest dreams. I want nothing more than to leave a legacy, which is exactly why I put a group together of the most strong-hearted, reliable, and Powerful black students In my school. We created LEGACY a group that volunteers to perform slam poetry, creative dance, step, and music. In preparation for performances, we take time to study black history and create powerful performances, calling out the cultural appropriation, racism that takes place, and the normalization of our culture and our culture's struggles. I also participate in choir, basketball, volleyball, track, and field, speech and debate, Hero (LGBTQIA+), theater, Student council, student mentoring, and the Tri-National Music Honor Society. I'm a captain for every sport I participate in, and I'm vice president for the National Honor Society I'm in. I'm also the assistant director for my Elite performing arts choir. At a school where there were bare minimum opportunities for black students, it was almost as if we had to find shards of diamonds and silver in a 100-pound pile of ash and call our future. Through it all, I can say I stopped at nothing that facetiously tried to get in my way. Now I'm here, a senior trying to make a difference for myself and proving I'm worth the extra mile, because “just because you went to a school that didn't care about you, or your future, you CAN be more.”

Who Am I? I feel like being completely honest about who I am. I'm more than another student. My name is Leilah Swanson. Describing myself, Id begin by talking about how I'm an overachieving power addict who loves to prove she can handle anything you throw at her. A versatile student-athlete leading many extracurricular activities like choir, basketball, volleyball, track and field, speech and debate, Hero (LGBTQIA+), theater, Student council, student mentoring, Tri-National Music Honor Society, and my black performance/leadership club called Legacy. As a young queer black woman, I've advocated for the LGBTQ community and black by standing up and educating many people not only in my school, in churches and other communities too. Being me has opened people's eyes to see being gay and black isn't the same for everyone and it will never be a look to find fitting a stereotype. I'm an example, that being gay doesn't affect who you are or how you deserve common courtesy or respect. Any chance that's given, I speak out about the lack of support for LGBTQIA teens, black teens, and teens in general. I'm hoping to get a movement going for more support systems in my community that help kids with no support find love within themselves. In my life, I've faced a lot of backlash for being who I am. Thankfully I've been respected enough to avoid excessive violence but between a fair share of microaggressions and glassed homophobia, it is clear the world still isn't ready for black girls with big dreams let alone girls who kiss girls or boys who kiss boys. I yearn to document major mental health fluctuations and draw as much attention to this crisis as possible. I'm on a mission to become a neuropsychologist, conducting research and advocating for the mass majority of people suffering from poor mental health and trauma that plagues America and the world today. I also intend to open my recreational facility to introduce an outreach center for all ages providing all forms of trauma therapy, therapy for disabilities, and overall healing shelters for whoever is in need. From singing to yoga to mindfulness trips to development and so much more, I plan to give people a wide variety of options to take charge of their minds, bodies, and lives however they see fit and inspire them to feel comfortable in their own skin. Last summer I went to a few leadership programs. One I was particularly inspired by was a business camp I did at Denver University, where we were introduced to a plethora of bosses! There were so many people of all beautiful shades and backgrounds. We even got to get a taste of marketing through a pitch competition to boost sales at a local business, and I won. These people inspired me to keep grinding and chasing my dreams and stop for nothing that facetiously tries to stop me. They opened my eyes to see that where I'm at now and who I am now is not who I'm going to be or where ill will be in a few years or even months. They showed me that no matter who I am I only need to be great for myself. I wish nothing but to inspire others the same way.