My future self is strong, happy, and content with the life I have worked so hard to achieve, even if I have reached all of my goals and aspirations I will continue to push myself to be the best version I can be.

I have lived in Delaware for my entire life. I have had the experience of living in many different cities in the First State, which also provided me the opportunity to see the many struggles that Delawareans face everyday. While residing in Wilmington, I have seen how poverty and homelessness can affect people, whether that be the person standing at the intersection or even some of my community members. When I lived in New Castle, the park across from my house was always filled with trash and litter, such as chip bags or sometimes beer bottles. Luckily, Delaware offers a plethora of community service opportunities that work towards relieving some of the struggles across the entire state. Ever since I was young, my parents always instilled in me how important it was to donate my time and help those who may be less fortunate than we are. I have always seen the importance of volunteering, and I feel as though that is reflected in my records of community service. I currently have logged over 200 hours of community service, all of which are through multiple organizations. The organization I have volunteered for the most has been the Food Bank of Delaware. Every time I go back, there is always a new task for me to do, which truly shows how demanding the need is for their service in the community. Most often, I am sorting through donations in order to ensure that the non-perishables and canned goods are not expired and are still acceptable to provide to the community. Other times, I have restocked shelves with food donations, or even harvested fresh produce to give away. Another organization I have just recently started volunteering at is Richardson Park Elementary School, which is located right down the street from my high school. This new experience has allowed me to connect with the elementary kids and develop personal relationships with them. It is very interesting to see how the kids continue to grow each week, and I find it extremely rewarding knowing that they actually find the information I am providing them useful. They love to ask questions, and never fail to amaze me with how curious they are about staying healthy and living an active lifestyle. Volunteering my time at Richardson Park Elementary school has not only been beneficial and worthwhile for me, but it has also shown me how much the young students look forward to learning something new each week, which proves how important it is for me to keep volunteering. While the time I have spent giving back to others as well as my community may seem small or insignificant, the most significant take away I have from my community service experiences is the satisfaction of knowing that others are benefiting from my actions. I will continue to serve my community and give back in any way I can.

A few hours into the summer of my freshman year, my family and I found ourselves with nowhere to go except for the hotel we had for the rest of the night. Our whole life was packed away into cardboard boxes, filled not only with belongings but also memories that we were not ready to say goodbye to. My dad and I looked back longingly at the house that his girlfriend had just kicked us out of, but yet we continued to drive away in the U-Haul truck we had rented. I can recall thinking that this night was foreshadowing what the next three and a half months were going to look like. But in reality, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise that proved to myself a difficult time in my life wouldn’t tear me down, but would instead make me stronger. What I once thought was going to be the worst summer of my life turned out to be the fresh start that I desperately needed. During the summer months, instead of learning how to scoop ice cream, I discovered how to care for myself and find the strength to look after my family during a nightmarish couple of months. What others may have considered a tough time for my family, I instead chose to stay optimistic and use this opportunity to rekindle the once strained relationship I had with my father. I always try to see the best in every situation, and this is just one prime example of how being an optimistic person in a demanding situation has taught me to stay hopeful and keep a positive attitude.

While others may say that they love my personality or my style, one thing I love about myself is my perseverance. To be more specific, I admire the ability I have to overcome difficult situations and obstacles that I have faced in the past. Growing up, I lived through a brutal divorce between my parents, moving between multiple houses, death of loved ones, and the trauma of having an incarcerated parent. Alongside all of this emotional baggage, I was also dealing with “normal teenage experiences”, such as transferring to a different school, making new friends, and applying myself to demanding AP and honors classes. With a lot on my plate at once, there were many times where I felt like I was putting too much pressure on myself, and that I should stop focusing on activities that I cared about. However, I found the strength to overcome the barriers that were in my way, and coped with my emotions in a healthy manner. While there were many challenging times in my life, I never let them get in the way of my success, and that is one reason why my perseverance is one of the most important things I love about myself.

My dad and I opened the garage of the house we once used to call our home to find our whole life packed away into cardboard boxes. Tears pooled in my eyes, as they had earlier that day when I said goodbye to my friends on my last day of ninth grade. Only this time, the tears fell and left a mark on the cardboard box in my hands, similar to how this day would leave its mark on my life. I quickly wiped away the droplets running down my flushed face because I was the strong daughter that my dad needed to depend on. After all our bags and boxes were loaded into the metal box we were driving, we looked back longingly at the house that my dad’s girlfriend had kicked us out of. A few hours into summer, and my family had nowhere to go except the hotel we had for the rest of the night. I can recall thinking that this night was foreshadowing what the rest of summer would look like. But in reality, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise that proved to myself a difficult time in my life wouldn’t tear me down, but would instead make me stronger. This experience allowed me to discover how to care for myself and find the strength to look after my family during a nightmarish couple of months. The draining move and abrupt relocation taught me that if I was able to make the best out of a tough situation, then I would have the ability to rise against any obstacle in my future. Who would have thought that packing up my life and moving away from home would build and develop a new side of myself that I was so proud of?

One of the simple pleasures I have the flexibility to experience a every now and then in my busy life is a rest day. After a long week of school, and even when I work right after school, getting the ability to rest on the weekend's is one of activities that I look forward to the most. A typical lazy day can vary from catching up on schoolwork that I didn't get a chance to finish earlier, or sleeping in an extra hour or two. I believe that it is extremely important for everyone to give themselves a couple of hours to really focus on themselves, and use that time as a reset before carrying on with your week. While I do appreciate staying busy by attending my school's sporting events or hanging out with friends, I also see the importance in taking some time to enjoy my own company without any distractions.

In my dream life, I am financially stable and have a job that I enjoy. I have moved out of Delaware, and hopefully somewhere a little warmer, such as North or South Carolina. At some point in my dream life, I would love to have at least two kids, and raise them in a big house that backs up to a forest. In addition to the kids, I want to have a couple of dogs, specifically a Bernese Mountain Dog or Great Dane. A big part of my dream life is having the ability of travel and explore not only the US, but I wish to experience all the adventures that other countries have to offer. The main goal I hope to achieve is to have the financial freedom to give back to my parents, and the community around me. I would like to use my money and put it towards a good cause, whether that is by donating to a local school or hospital that could use it more than my family and I. In conclusion, in my dream life I would love to be set up for success, where I have the ability to give back to those around me.