"A leader knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way." -John C. Maxwell Leadership. One would think that every man sitting on a throne would want to be a glorious leader. Heading his troops into a bloodstained battle, and when the odds are against him when everything seems lost, he raises his flag, waving its piercing, brave colors, rallies his troops with a thunderous war cry, and acquires what seemed to be an impossible victory. And yet here I was, not so many years ago, cowering behind my father when I was called up to recite the pledge at a Cub Scout meeting. It Was when I was inducted into Boy Scouts, things changed. Yes, the workload became more aggressive, but I had mentors who never denied help to me and the others. So I powered through it all, and as grew, I realized something: this "aggressive" workload, was shaping me into a leader. I was learning these skills so one day I could in return teach them to another. And so this process becomes infinite: the learner becomes the teacher who teaches the learner. Currently, I am awaiting to receive the rank of Eagle Scout. I think that says all that needs to be said. Without Boy Scouts, I would not be the scholar, the striver, the leader I am today. Whether your from Italy, France, or Germany. Whether you joined Troop One-Thirty Five, Twenty Five, or Seventy-Eight, any Eagle Scout from any part of this green Earth will tell you that the prime leadership opportunity throughout your Boy Scouts of America adventure is your Boy Scouts Eagle Project. I finished up my project just this past September. It was a memorial dedicated to a dearly beloved teacher of mine, who passed away this past year due to breast cancer. Every aspect of this project displays leadership. I wrote out ideas for the project, and when I had the final idea, I planned out what materials we needed, the costs of the materials, and where we were going to get them. I then went to various stores to ask for donations (if your wondering that went, my project is mostly donated). This isn't even considering that I had to coordinate where I wanted the project built, when I was going to build it, and what other supplies I needed. Did I mention that this was only the planning? Eventually, after much stress from waiting and planning, game day (the building of the project) arrived. This is where the Boy Scouts leaders were looking for leadership in me. Just before the project started, I thought about that day in Cub Scouts. I had a strange, but similar feeling at that moment, right now. But this time, I was ready to show that I am, and always will be, a leader. I directed the whole project: educating scouts on how to properly screw in a pocket hole screw into a bench, guiding those who had trouble digging a six-inch deep hole for a flowerbed, and enabling everyone to carry out their respected tasks, that I coordinated. All in all, it was a success. The project, and my leadership. A leader means everything to me. It means you are capable of stepping up your game, that you no longer just follow others blindly, that you forge your own path. I plan to apply these leadership skills while I'm composing music in college: teaching other students notational techniques, showing those how to play harmonic chords, the opportunity to express leadership is universal, and I believe that one cannot succeed without it.

In my opinion, there are two universal languages: Art and Music. While I would love to explain the art aspect of it, I'm not here to do that. So why? Why do I say Music is a universal language? Music is worldwide: sung and spoken by millions of different languages, danced to in thousands of different ways, how can it be universal? It's simple. We all know what it is. From hearing an African Drum beat or listening in on a snippet of a Latin Ballad on the radio, no matter where or what it's from, we know it's music. Hearing just a simple melody, a chord, even a singular note, can be recognized by anyone, as music. My name is Logan McGranaghan. I play 5 instruments, one professionally (since third grade), the other 4 leisurely. I have been in Jazz and Wind Ensemble ever since middle school all the way up to (and including) my senior year. I plan to study Music Composition as a Major at either SUNY Fredonia or Ithaca College. Both colleges are exceptionally expensive, so this scholarship could help ease the weight of possible college debt. Music is vital to our growing world. There are two main reasons for this: leisure and expression. Music is ranked as one of the most popular leisure activities of all time throughout history. Whether it's listening to it on Spotify while studying for a crucial Calculus exam, composing some music so your friend can sing over it, or just playing instruments just to kill time, it's leisure, it's fun, and most importantly, it gets the brain working, whether you think it or not. Expression. Music would not be what it is without the artists who express themselves through it. The two types of expression we see through this (and pretty much any) art is emotional and cultural expression. Cultural expression could be a French Baroque Waltz exemplifying the culture and impact of the lively city of lights: Paris. It could be an American Hard Rock guitar solo, a soft romantic piano melody inspired by the European Composers of the Romantic Era of music, it can be anything, as long as it comes from a culture, which all music does. Cultural expression exposes cultures to other cultures. This means societies can integrate, not only in music, but in everything we see and breath today. Cultural impact has always been a part of music, and will never cease to be as long as someone keeps playing, singing, expressing. Emotional expression. Any song that expresses emotion, whether it's love for a girl, hate for a bully, or sorrow for a widow. This is what really makes a song worth making and listening to. The most memorable songs are the ones that have sentiment. Let's say an artist composes a song about growing up without a parental figure, so many people resonate with that song since many of the listeners relate to it in someway. In doing so, those people resonate with each other, make friends, create a community, a society. Those artists who take this extra step, to create a work that has personal value, who express what they are feeling, seeing, hearing, experiencing...those are the artists worth discovering. So why is music so important to society? Everyone resonates with it no matter who you are. Friendships, communities, societies, are built on it. Music creates love, and love, will save the world. So take a chance, put on some headphones, open Spotify, press play, and let the experience begin.

It's simple, aspiring students careers are at stake. It doesn't matter what the factors of inequity are-whether that be due to gender, class, religious beliefs-or how many challenges the student face due to inequity. Any amount is enough to derail a students dream. This issue needs to be widely addressed, or else millions of students lives, will be shattered.

Third grade was the school year that I started Trombone. I vaguely remember trying to play the first note us low brass players ever learn: a concert B flat. My lips sloppy pursed together as I blew an anything but steady stream of air into this depressed horn, and I produced a sound which could only be compared to a duck squelching as it dies a horrible death. I laugh at that moment now. Everyone starts somewhere, but what matters is the failure, the learning experience, the growth. Without it I wouldn't be where I was now; performing in All State and All County Bands, learning three additional instruments, flying through college level solos, applying to Ithaca, SUNY Fredonia, SUNY Potsdam, and Nazareth for a major in Music Composition. What's crucial for anyone pursuing anything and what I learned after my successes: no matter how far you've come, no matter what level you're at, you never stop. Just because I've gotten where I am doesn't mean that I just quit Trombone! If anything, I strive to keep becoming more and more prestigious with my instrument: playing harder literature, learning more advanced music theory, being in more ensembles, the grind never stops! No one can ever be perfect, so there's no excuse to stop anything you do. You can always improve! But what determines this, is if you think you can. So...do you think you can improve?

Lord Huron: the best band you have never heard of. I say this because this bands music is so inspirational, so emotional, so independent, but almost no one knows who they are. In probably their most successful album, there resides one masterpiece among the other melodies: The Night We Met. I first want to analyze the sound of the music itself. The band wanted to stress this ethereal feeling, like your floating within a different plane of existence. Then the piece builds up to a soft rock ballad. But what really brings the sound of the music together is the 3/4 time signature, creating a beautiful dance to sway to. What really makes this piece so memorable is the lyrics. The song itself is open to interpretation for the audience. It could be about someone who has experienced loss, withdrawal, or just longs to be with someone, once again. But the core of the reliability of the song is about the absence of a loved one. We all have experienced that throughout our lives, hence why this is the most successful work from the Band. All of these elements combined, make an emotional masterpiece. The depressing lyrics with the melodic tone create this artwork, that makes the flood gates open, every time I listen to this experience.

If I'm going to be honest, I hate waiting. It has always tortured me: waiting for a test result, an application rejection or acceptation, a surgery, if it was a success or failure on my dying great grandmother. I've come to terms that waiting for a result is worse than the bad outcome. Henceforth, patience was a very challenging skill to master. A little of that challenge may contribute to my ADHD. I can never really sit still, so asking me to sit down, wait, and be stiller than a statue, is practically impossible for me. But given time, I slowly developed this far-fetched -to me at least-concept of patience. So why be patient? Why is it so important? When I developed the skill, I was rewarded. Whether that be me getting finally accepted to an All State Band or finally getting a response from my dream college. So you can ignore this entire essay if you want, but all that matters is this last line: Good things come to those who wait.

There are two types of health within the human body that can determine your entire life: Physical health and mental health. Physical health means that the body and it's organs are in an acceptable state. Acceptable means that a body can function with minor setbacks like asthma, obesity (but not a severe form), and amputated finger, etc. Mental health is within the brain. It is the concept of keeping your mind in good condition. Or in other words, mental health is the tending to your mental state. A good mental state is one that can express all emotions, since emotions, even the negative ones, are human. But these emotions must be expressed to an extent (for example, you can hate someone, but not hate to the point where it drives you to murder that person). A bad mental state is where ones emotions are unstable (refer to my statement on hate) or are very limited. What I mean by "limited" is for example depression: someone with depression usually is in a state where positive emotions are absent, or short lived. It's crucial that I mention that physical and mental health are interlocked. In some cases someone who has depression no longer cares for there hygiene and appearance. In the other case someone with poor physical health can stop caring about themselves because they let their physical health consume them. So the answer sounds simple: maintain good mental and physical health. But I assure you, it is very easier said than done. Peoples environment can change the ability to maintain these two health's, like an abusive parent or an un-kept dwelling. So what's the take away? Do what you can, and try your best, even if you face advisories, because in the end, your health, your life, matters.

"I see people go by, they say how do you do. What they're really saying is: I Love You" -Louis Armstrong, What a Wonderful World Love: the most powerful influence in the world. Not wealth, not weapons, love. This one concept can repair a friendship, re-establish a community, stop violence, stop wars, establish peace and prosperity. This simple act can change everything. I've seen various conflicts in my own community. Poverty riddling the streets, violence spreading throughout the masses, no matter the age. I've seen racism, homophobia, and bullying in horrific ways. I want to change that. I want my community to become whole once again. I may not be able to do much, but I do what I can. I participate in park clean ups, food drives, and clubs. I recently completed my Eagle Project, which I put at one of the communities churches. The Eagle Project was dedicated to an Elementary teacher of mine who passed away a year ago due to breast cancer (and also dedicated to all teachers that passed on that had a special connection to students). I wanted the community to take advantage of my project: to admire the garden I dug, to sit on the bench I built, to remember those amazing teachers, and remember that our community can be so loving. What I've witnessed in my community is vastly increased in our country and the world. The planet is graying. Those who can intervene remain ignorant, while they bathe in their power wealth. People need to realize what the world has succumbed to, and more importantly: they can save it. To put a little more green on this gray Earth, everyone needs to learn to love each other. Whether that means putting aside political differences, holding a door for someone, helping someone with their homework, participating in volunteer work at the local food shelter, all acts no matter how big or small, are impact, and are acts of love. There was only one problem. How can I tell people about this? I'm only a kid. I only have so much power. But I'm not giving up. It hit me. How could I have been so blind? So unaware? So strayed? Every living generation uses some form of social media, whether that be Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Reddit, the list never ends. So it clicked: I'm only one person, but if I send something online, it spreads like wildfire. I got behind the hashtag #SpreadTheLove: a hashtag fully devoted to spreading love and positive vibes on social media. With it I spread it to all. Why? So maybe someones day can be a little better, so someone can finally have some good news instead of all the negativity that has been expressed on the various platforms of television. I cannot stress enough: if everyone, every person on this planet, can learn to love each other, we can save the planet. I'm aware, that my goal is impossible. But that doesn't sway me. I will persevere. #ShareTheLove

"True redemption is when guilt leads to good". -The Kite Runner When I read this quote in this extremely dark, but inspiring novel, it stuck with me. All that night I thought about the quote. I took me some time to actually interpret it, but once I did, I realized what it meant: you only truly redeem yourself when the guilt you carried for an action you took (or didn't take) either consumes you, or convince you to make up for your action. I pondered various actions I regret doing, and thought about how I never faced punishment. It wasn't fair. I deserved it. I needed it. Yet I knew I wouldn't receive what was due. So I took it upon myself, to try and make up every wrong I've done. In conclusion, I feel the void of guilt inside me slowly going away. I feel better, relieved, fulfilling. But most of all, I finally feel like I am truly redeeming myself.

It's simple, I want to be part of the music industry. Producing music that fascinates everyone who listens, making my way up the billboard, collaborating with my two dream artists-Lord Huron and Gorillaz-and even inspiring others to make music. All this started with me listening to music on my iPod in 3rd grade. I just couldn't stop dancing to Monstercat; one of the greatest EDM artists of all time. Time passed, and I listened to more mature music, with themes could make any grown man cry. I realized, that the best types of artists are the ones that pour their heart and soul into their music so the listeners can resonate what they were feeling when they wrote the song. I live by that. The only good music is the music that matters to the artist, and the listener.

I'm in band, Drama Club, and Boy Scouts. I look and act like a nerd, and sometimes have a small lisp. If it isn't obvious enough: I'm a huge target for being picked on. The society we live in today has this cruel standard: if you are different, if you are special, if you are "not normal", you are weird, irrelevant, and ignorant. It didn't make sense. Why should I be punished just for being the outlier? Most who are different let this standard control them, and affect them negatively. Even I used to be like this. I tried to fit into this so called "social standard". What I mean by this is that I was supposed to wear certain types of clothes, only like certain activities (like sports), talk a certain way, even act a certain way. It just didn't feel right. So I said screw it. If people didn't like me just because I was myself, that's their problem, and not mine. Because here's what I realized: you wan't to strive to be yourself, because if you don't, you're someone else, and not you".

It's simple. I hope those who've I have lead will become leaders themselves. It all comes down to a learning process. Lets say I teach an apprentice a skill. The most effective way to make sure an apprentice learns a skill is through the EDGE method. EDGE stands for Elaborate, Demonstrate, Guide, and Enable. Elaborate the skill, Demonstrate it, Guide the apprentice so then they are Enabled to learn and use the skill. This simple process makes effective leaders. I believe that the only type of good leader is the one who makes more. This process becomes infinite. The learner becomes the teacher, who will then teach more learners to become teachers. With this process, people will begin to learn more and more skills efficiently, and they will be passed down through many generations. Like I said, the whole point of mentor ship is for the student to become the teacher, and so the cycle continues.

T

I remember my mother telling me about the first time she finished The Two Towers (the sequel to The Lord of The Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R Tolkien). It was about 1 AM, she read about 5 chapters in a row, and was determined to finish the book. "What!" she exclaimed, as she read the final line, in which Frodo is presumed dead, all hope is lost for the quest to destroy the Ring of Power, leaving the reader with a haunting cliffhanger. It's hilarious considering this was just when my dad almost fell asleep, and almost urinated a little. Ever since a C section brought me into this world, both my parents have died me to read the LotR trilogy. I was always reluctant, -since I usually was only drawn to graphic novels- but eventually I succumbed to my parents persistence. After I finished The Fellowship of the Ring, I was mesmerized. I could barely contain my excitement to start the next book. So I read the Two Towers, and almost mirrored my mothers reaction to the ending. So your obviously wondering which of the three books was my favorite? Well, it's the one I haven't mentioned yet: The Return of the King. This whole book is a long drawn out process of multiple climaxes, each interlocking for the battle of the Ring of Power. So many instances that I thought the heroes will fail their quest, but when the Ring was cast into the raging fires of Mount Doom, I knew it was over. I bawled at the ending. Not only is Return of the King my favorite book, but the entire series pretty much popularized the fanasty franchise. After all these years since it was published, it still isn't topped. Rest in Peace, Tolkien.

Now, this sounds greedy but I would want to have a good sum of money. It's simple: with all this money, I could live my dream life of living in a mansion, produce music with my favorite artists like Gorillaz, Lord Huron, Herbie Hancock, and more. I could produce film ideas I've always wanted to. I had this one idea of making a dark comedy about a hitman who breaks the 4th wall and has a sense of humor (and also makes of fun me for having this idea literally rip off Deadpool). I'm not going to look like a greedy person by having all this money because I will donate a huge sum to charities. But most importantly, with all this money; I can make my family financially sound. I say the word sound since our family is already financially stable, but college could send us into a small debt. With this, I can secure our finances for my family and even my next generation of family. Money can get you everything you ever could have fathomed, what makes you a good person is how you use it.

The world is slowly dying. But we can do so much by doing so little. Remembering to recycle the Pepsi bottle that you almost threw into the trash. Riding your bike to your school instead of driving your car. Reusing a torn shirt as a washcloth instead of burning it. All of these I actively advocate to everyone I know. No it doesn't mean I punish those who don't, I just try to implement the idea inside the People's brain. Now I know what you might be thinking "I'm one person? What does it matter?". If everyday each person on Earth recycled one bottle; that's 7.6 billion bottles recycled daily. Every contribution matters. Now, what's the use of talking about saving the planet if no one else will do it? Social Media is one of the biggest platforms used today. I advocate for the planet on social media so more and more people will realize what's at stake--and become Eco-friendly. Widespread awareness will save the planet. When people see, people react.