December 25th, 2014 I pulled a square-shaped package out from beneath the tree, tearing away the green snowman paper. I found in front of me the Taylor Swift 1989 album CD and a yellow envelope full of Polaroids. For months I would lay on the floor with 1989 blasting out of the speakers of my CD player following along with the lyrics that were printed on the CD case insert, the polaroids spread out around me like I was preparing myself for some sort of spiritual experience. I fell in love with her song, Wildest Dreams, I would get really into it. I'd put on a white dress, sit on the windowsill and belt out the lyrics to the song as if I as an 11year old understood heartbreak. I loved the way the lyrics painted a picture. I could imagine myself standing with white flowy fabric swirling around me in the wind as strands of hair brushed against my red face. At 11 years old I didn't feel pretty. I was short, small, had a dreadful-looking bob, and wore thick blue glasses. This was the sort of song that made you feel beautiful. Like you were someone that people would want to remember and that when they thought of you they had to search for just the right words to describe what you looked like so that they would never forget. I'm 19 years old now, I've grown in height and my hair is the longest its been in my entire life, and I've been experiencing a heartbreak that I'm seeking to let go of. This song has shown me that the best way to move on is to leave with beauty and grace, I want the times that I spent with this person to be thought of as beautiful and perfect. The pretty moments, the moments where everything was just as it should be is what I want to remember and what I want to be able to describe my relationship as I see it in hindsight. This is a song I've been able to imagine myself as both parts of the song, the beautiful woman to be remembered but also as the person looking back on memories with grace. Now that that time in my life has left me, these memories follow me around, and I remember it as a standing memory, pretending that maybe I'll be able to see the happiest and most beautiful parts of my of it again.

Every kid deserves to have someone to cheer them on. Unfortunately, there are a lot of children that lack support at home, whether it's because their parents are busy with work or just don't care enough to put in the effort. In 7th grade, I began volunteering at the free week-long summer day camp hosted by my church. Around that same time, I started volunteering at other church events, volunteering at kid nights, creating Thanksgiving bags, helping at the toy store, leading arts and crafts at the prom for teens with special needs, and handing out meals at the soup kitchen. In high school, I continued to try and involve myself as much as I could within my community. I returned to places that had supported me growing up like my church, track and field, and my elementary school. I was a volunteer track and field coach for kids ages 6-13 for two summers, I made sure to attend every meet and practice, making sure I was shouting every kid's name. I then spent a summer working at my local YMCA as the arts and crafts director, it was the summer following the covid shutdowns and a lot of kids were struggling with learning basic skills without in-person school or an attentive parent. I began to structure my art lessons for the youngest age groups around writing their letters, many of the children entering the YMCA without the ability to spell their names. We also created shoes to learn to tie made from cardboard and yarn. Getting to high-five a kid after they learn to do something on their own and see the smile on their face is one of my absolute favorite things. I have volunteered at many events hosted by my elementary school since leaving it. When I heard that the school was low on substitute teachers I scheduled a job interview. I wanted to be the type of sub I felt I had needed as a kid, someone who would listen, care, and not spend the class staring at a screen. I've been subbing every break from university since May 2021 and I love getting to follow and teach lesson plans. My elementary school is in a low-income area and a lot of these kids have faced harder things so early in their lives, so I want to make sure that school isn't a hard place for them, but a place to learn, to create, and to grow. In the summers I work at a summer camp in Massachusetts, a lot of the kids come from unstable homes, perhaps they're in between foster homes, their parents are in the middle of a custody battle, or their parents can't afford to care for them right then. Many of these kids have never felt like they've had adult support, and that is what I want to be. I play games with them, sing songs, dance silly dances, and make sure they're safe, and as a mandated reporter I take the scary stuff they entrust in me about their life outside of camp and try to make where they return to the best it possibly can be for them. I'm studying construction, one of the integral parts of every structure is support, otherwise, it will fail. Sometimes they're supports implemented while it's being built and then replaced with a support system that can be better trusted to keep the structure standing once it's complete and standing on its own. I actively choose to be a trusted support system and cheer every kid on, because they deserve to succeed.

There is immense beauty in a woman that runs, the amount of determination and dedication is clearly visible in her eyes as she crosses the finish line, the beads of sweat showing just how much she worked to reach the finish line, and the pumping motion of her arms and legs explaining just how much she's capable of every challenge that stands in her way. The most inspirational women in my life have really touched me through running. My mother. Andrea Vincent. My mom is one of the strongest women I know. I have three younger siblings which means that my mom is always busy, she’s always bringing someone to practice, making large healthy dinners almost every night, keeping the house tidy, and making sure that we’re all doing well in school. My mom has ran at least a mile every single day for nearly seven years. She has run every day despite the weather, despite being sick, despite the time of day because she set a challenge for herself. My mom has inspired me with the way that she views running as a way to benefit her health and challenge herself rather than as a chore even after all these years. I now have a running streak of nearly a year, and I started it because of my mom, I want to be just like her, a strong woman that can set a challenge and keep with it. My coach. Jamie Theriault. This woman has been such a great example of a strong woman. She taught me that in order to improve as an athlete you have to care for your body first. She always talked with us about the importance of nutrition as well as listening to your body while running. As I began to work through some issues with not correctly fueling my body I began to reflect on a lot of the things that she told me as my coach. I thought about the way that she used to explain how we wouldn’t be able to get faster unless we took the easy days that our bodies required. She also taught us about the importance of setting goals, she would always say to treat landmarks on runs as new starting lines. Each tree was a new starting point, a place where we could then set a new goal. She taught me to listen to my body and how to set new goals, each day a new start, which could lead to improvement. My teammate. Jillian Richardson. One of the kindest people I have ever had the opportunity to meet. I’m so grateful that I am able to call this woman my friend. When I began running cross country in highschool my coach Theriault introduced me to Jill, telling me to just go on a training run with her. Little did I know at the time that this girl would change my life. Every girl that ran XC in Maine knew her as a competitor or a teammate, as well as a truly kind individual. Jill constantly challenged herself all the while having a glitter covered face. She cheers on everyone from every team, and always roots for people to do their absolute best. She’s taught me that you can be kind, covered in glitter, and still be taken seriously like she was as a running competitor.

Architecture has always intrigued me, the artful designs that surround you everyday. Buildings from the smallest trailer houses to the large old mansions are pieces of legacy, a little mark on the world someone has left behind and will hopefully bless another person's life for years to come. A legacy is something that you leave behind, not to be remembered by but for you to show what you know and remember about the world. I want to make an impact, I want to leave behind a legacy when I die, I want to know that my work will continue to be an emotionally valuable part of people's lives even after I'm gone. I want what I leave behind to be something a kids will grow up knowing, like their childhood home or nostalgic toys or ideas that they'll gift to their children when their future children. I want to leave behind something that shows what I believed in during my life and what I wish for the world to continue to work towards. I have had great interest in graphic design, architecture and environmental sustainability for a few years now and I think all three work together to leave a legacy. Art lives on forever and through graphic design a person can be give the ability to leave words and art in a format that sells what they're trying to say. Architecture is left behind by the person that creates it, a family may find a home in it or it may became a landmark on a businessman's walk each morning but it will hold emotional value and become part of these peoples' lives, letting my legacy live on. Environmental sustainability is my mission, the idea that with using more sustainable options we could improve the planet for future generations, I could incorporate it into my graphic design or choices in architecture and it will be known what I truly valued. I could leave behind the legacy of what I've learned about myself and the world around me, that if people continue to work together it can be improved, because and the end of the day I don't want my legacy to be about me but about what I want for the future.