It was a beautiful day. It had been awhile since I had a good day because I was dealing with a lot of stress from school and friends and all that. But I was outside on a beautiful day and was finally slowing down to look around at the world around me. It made me happy and it made me genuinely smile for the first time in a long time. I'm a singer and a choir kid, so naturally I felt that there should be a song for the wonderful moment I felt.

There was a woman in my church who I will never forget. She showed me what true strength and love was. She was the leader of the young women, or the teenage girls, in my church. She was also my friend. She would show her love to us in small ways. Whenever I saw her at activities she would ask how school and my extracurricular activities where going and would listen intently to what I had to say. When I would tell her about the smallest accomplishment I could always feel her genuine pride and love toward me. In that way she touched the lives of me, and all those around her. One of my fondest memories of her was when she taught us young women how to ride horses for an activity. I went up and started talking to her, and before I knew it she was carefully explaining to me each of her horse's little personalities. The way she talked about them was beautiful. It showed me that day that she appreciated the details of all the things around her. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago. Even as she went to surgery after surgery and became more tired every day, she still put all her effort into loving us young women. She gave us lessons every Sunday she was there. She still helped plan and came to our youth activities and had lively conversations with us. She truly showed me strength through her example. Eventually, she became bedridden and could no longer be our leader, but even then she still showed her love for us. Her daughter told us she cried when she had to leave us. When I heard we meant that much to her, I cried too, because she meant so much to me. A few months ago this amazing woman passed away after a two- year battle with cancer. She left no small hole in my life and in the lives of many, many others. I want to honor her memory by showing love towards people like she did. I want to be an Occupational Therapist for kids. I want to emulate the love this woman showed me to kids who struggle in life. That love is what those kids, and really all people in general, needs to grow. She inspired me to be a person who loves people no matter how hard it is. She was a light in my world that showed me how impactful love can be. Now, everyday I try to find ways to show unselfish love to someone around me, like she did. I am blessed and grateful to have had her in my life.

I have come a long way in my education because of the many struggles I've had with learning and school. I am dyslexic and because of that I've always had a hard time reading and writing. My mom summer schooled me every year through Elementary School so that I would be able to move up a grade like the rest of my peers. During that time I learned that I needed to work hard if I was going to succeed at all in school. I learned about how my brain works and learns. I developed many study habits that I use today like having a consistent study schedule and planning out when I will work on school throughout the week. I also gained a good work ethic and I am not afraid to put in many hours of work so that I can succeed in school. I learned to have the courage to ask teachers for help when I do not understand what they taught. Because of my dyslexia I have gained habits and learned more about how my brain works and strategies to use so that I can be successful in my education. I am now taking college credit and AP English classes and I am doing well in them because of what I learned when I continually failed Elementary School. I did not give up because my mom refused to let me. She continually motivated me to get back up and find new strategies when I did fail at school. I am now confident in my abilities. I always give every task I have my best effort and I have become a very hardworking person. I am a successful student because I know how much hard work pays off in the end. I will continue to work hard and use the study habits I learned because I know that when I give things, like school, my best effort I can learn, grow, and eventually succeed. All this because my mom gave me the individual support I needed. There are many other kids out there who struggle in school like I did, but they don't have the support they need to succeed. I love kids and it is hard for me to watch them struggle when they could have help as an individual. My aunt works at a children’s therapy clinic and she gave me the opportunity to volunteer and observe there. I keep the shelves tidy and sanitize but my favorite part is observing the therapists working with kids during their therapy sessions. I get to see how the kids learn and grow from people who are willing to cater to their needs. I also see how the therapist identifies the child’s needs as they come along during the session. I enjoy watching kids learn and I believe that with the right motivation and tools they can be successful no matter what. I have seen kids change completely because someone was willing to work with them and give them individualized tools to be successful. They become more engaged in school, they are able to communicate with others a whole lot better, and generally just enjoy life more. For example, a friend of mine when I was younger had struggled for a long time to get through the day without getting overstimulated and crying. He eventually went to Occupational Therapy and after a few months of training and playing he was able to get through most days without breaking down because he had the tools to stay calm. I want to help children who think differently to have the same opportunity to live life and be successful in school as any other child. I want to become an Occupational Therapist to give children who have trouble in school the tools they need so that they, as individuals, so that they can learn and grow. My goal is to go to college to learn about how different children think. I applied and got accepted to Brigham Young University- Idaho. I have also attended many college credit classes in high school to help me move through college faster to move on to my career. I plan to get my undergrad in Child Psychology at BYU-I because it is one of their top-ranking programs. As I go through the program, I want to take classes that have an emphasis on child psychology because children think and learn different than adults. I also want to get my master’s degree as a Pediatric Occupational Therapist so I can then work in a clinic. There are so many children out there who need Occupational Therapy but there is a shortage of therapists. There are many long waiting lists and I want to open up more opportunities for children to learn because I believe every child is different and has different needs. I want to go to college so I can learn to cater to those specific needs and give them tools to learn and become the best version of themselves that they can be. Being an Occupational Therapist will allow me to give other kids the same opportunity to learn as I did.

I have always thought it was important to have my voice heard, especially as a youth, in what happened in the city I lived in. So, my Freshman year I was able to join the Mayor's Youth Advisory Council in Meridian. We planned many service projects, like installing bike fix-it stations at local parks. I was personally involved in mapping out the project and helped out the Parks and Rec crew we hired install the stations. We also were involved in local government and I was even able to advocate for better infrastructure in the city so that could be safer routes to school, at the State Capitol. I got to talk to senators and learn how to talk to them and what they look for in a proposal. We also hosted many city events like the City of Meridian Trunk-or-Treat. We cornered off a few blocks for local businesses to advertise and hand out candy on Halloween, and so that kids could have a safe place to Trick-or-Treat. I am so glad I was able to have a voice in my city and community, and make a difference even as a youth. There are many people less fortunate out there that we have the ability to help and really make a difference. During Christmastime I wanted to run a project to help out those in need. My Seminary teacher gave me a few suggestions and I eventually decided to help out a daycare for refugees. When I asked them what I could do to help they said that they needed craft supplies. Some mice had gotten into their craft buckets and for sanitation reasons they had to throw it all out. I knew my family and I had craft supplies to donate, but I thought I could do more. I knew people who I went to church with would be willing to donate, so I asked my mom if I could borrow her Facebook account to ask the women in congregation if they could help me out. I got more than I expected. Many people reached out to me and donated a lot of craft supplies that they did not use anymore but where still in good condition. I even went through my own personal craft supply to see what I could donate. I personally picked all the supplies up from people and they each explained to me why they were donating. Some had refugee friends, some had read about the refugees and what they went through, and one family even adopted a refugee into their family. It is amazing to see how when I worked to help meet the needs of others much of the community came together to help me. I have found that there are many children who struggle with doing day to day tasks because their mind needs some extra help and attention. Occupational Therapists help kids who struggle with day to day things in a way that's individualized and caters to their specific needs. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of Occupational Therapists and many kids who need one. I aspire to be an Occupational Therapist to help kids in my community grow and learn the best way they can. I was able to even volunteer at an Occupational Therapy Clinic. I sanitized, did office work, and organized closets, but, my favorite thing to do was observe the the therapists in their sessions with the kids. I got to see how they helped the kids cope with different things and I even got to play with the kids sometimes. I aspire to be an Occupational Therapist because I know I can change the life of many kids in a fulfilling way.

My role model has always been my dad. He has taught me many valuable lessons in simple ways. The most important lesson he taught me was when he taught me how to ski. I still remember that cold winter day in the mountains when I was a little girl. The skis hooked to my feet were about two feet long and had a mustard yellow edgie wedgie that hooked to the tip of each of my skis, so I would not accidentally do the splits. My dad and I went down the same gentle hill with almost no slope to slide on again and again. It always glistened with snow, and from the lift the skiers speckled the mountain in little dots. We went down the same way every trip, and I thought this one would be no different. “Hold on to me tight and don’t you dare let go,” I warned my dad for the tenth time. “Of course,” he reassured me, as he always did. When we got to the top of the lift he held my arm and guided me off so I would not lose balance; I was scared to death of falling off the lift. Then he came up right behind me and held me tight. Then we were off. As we gained speed I squealed with delight. I felt free and secure. I was giggling and enjoying myself when we rounded the corner. Then, I felt my big safety strap slowly loosen then release. I was on my own. I felt like I was free falling off a hundred-foot cliff with nothing stopping me. Everything was falling farther and farther out of control, and fast. I was certain that I was headed towards my ultimate doom. My giggles quickly turned to screams of panic. “How could he do this to me!? I trusted him!” I cried out in my mind. I was betrayed. He had promised to hold me, and here I was, cascading down a mountain, all by myself. Or was I? It was only a matter of seconds before my dad was right by my side. “You got this Lou, just take a breath” he told me. I took as big a breath as a small six-year old could manage. He then showed me how to slow down. With a lot of effort from tiny muscles, I did it. He showed me how to turn. How to go faster. I was no longer screaming, but I was not giggling either, I focused my energy and all my strength on listening and forcing my skis in the direction I wanted them. We went up, again and again, and I listened and focused, again and again. Each time was a little better than the last. On our last ride down, I looked up from my skis and felt the cold wind on my face. I was a bird soaring through the endless sky, gliding back and forth as I pleased. I could not help but spread my arms out and laugh out of sheer happiness. I never knew I could feel this free. When we finally got in the car to go home, I fell asleep within seconds. Little did I know how life-changing the lesson my dad taught that night was. I can never thank my dad enough for letting go. He knew that I would be afraid, but he let me go anyway. That feeling of freedom I felt was just outside of my fear. With a simple skiing lesson my dad taught me that the best out of life comes when I muster up my courage and take a risk. I have used this lesson to accomplish many things in my life. For example, I am in love with theater because I was able to face my stage fright. I have also chosen classes in school that I knew would challenge me, but I conquered my fear of failure, and I am now more prepared for college. I face life head-on because I love the feeling of pure joy I get from taking a breath and facing a fear. It is one of the most fulfilling things in my life. It may take a while, but once I let go of the fear I am harboring I can grow, and have more freedom than I could have ever imagine.