The dentist gave me a sense of joy and comfort. My visit always felt personal considering they consistently remembered what I’d mentioned from the previous visit, which could have been a year prior and consist of little information like the name of my dog. I always expressed how much I loved the prizes, so my dentist always handed me a few extra tokens with the biggest smile on her face. I’ve always been fond of the enjoyment that came with being independent and having responsibilities. My mother fostered this strength by accepting the strong will embedded within me so that I knew exactly what I wanted. Growing up independent meant that I learned a lot quicker than most and knew my strong suits, like for example, I have always been good at doing small things with my hands such as origami or legos. I also realized that I indulged the most in my science classes. As I matured and put the pieces together, it made me realize that I wanted to major in science to work towards becoming a dentist. I’ve had the same dream since kindergarten, and this is what I have looked forward to ever since I can remember. Regardless of my circumstances, this goal has remained constant and has never failed to pique my curiosity. I feared the normal things a stereotypical young girl would fear, but I never seemed to fear going to or being at the dentist. It has always been one of my absolute favorite places to be. Any time I brought up my tremendous love for being at the dentist, I received taunting looks of disapproval. Not that these sneers bothered me, but fueled my desire, even more, to focus on studying Biology. The objective behind this decision is not only for myself but also to ensure that I could help worried people feel a little more comfortable, and trust that this person will take good care of them and their oral health. I firmly believe that sometimes it’s not the action that is intimidating, but who is performing the action that can matter most. I vividly remember being a little girl so excited to hear about an upcoming dentist appointment. It was never something I had to mentally prepare for, unlike other things. I never once felt overwhelmed. Now it is clear to me that the character and personality of the person performing the action are the most impactful. It is vital for me to get a strong college education so that I can pursue my career goals in dentistry. After considering and reconsidering, I decided that what’s best for me is to graduate high school early. Some of the things I am looking forward to in college are club opportunities and meeting people from different cultures. My biggest accomplishment in life would be living each stage of my life to the fullest, and I believe college is exactly where I should begin to make that happen for myself.

I've grown up with the same friend, Sydney, since I was around 4 years old. Our grandmas have been best friends for a very long time, so our friendship was just handed down to us. We love all of the same things and participate in all the same activities, so it just works perfectly. As young girls we loved going on our annual family vacations and sharing a tent so we could stay up and snicker all night long while gossiping about boys. Growing up with Sydney had to be the light of my childhood. As we grew up Sydney started to seem very down and wasn't as interested in the things she used to find so much joy in. I was one of the only people she was able to talk to which made me feel really special, but I was really worried about her. I would text her mom and talk to her about the thoughts Sydney had circulating in her head that she was afraid to tell anyone but me because I knew she needed help. At one point she started harming herself and although I couldn't be there with her physically, I was always there if she needed me no matter what the circumstances were. If she called me in the middle of the night, my ringer was on so I was sure to answer. If she just simply needed silence with a shoulder to cry on, I was there. She texted me one day to say goodbye and I immediately called her mom in a panic, begging her to take Sydney to get help. She rushed her to the hospital, where they had to pump her stomach from her attempt to overdose. This ended up happening multiple times and I truly believe that if it wasn't for me she wouldn't be on earth right now. Soon after, her psychiatrist put her on antidepressants and anxiety medication and for the next couple months of her adjusting to them, I was always there to comfort and support her if she needed it. Sydney is now, after about five or six years, off her medications completely and beautifully thriving. I provided Sydney with a safe place in order to help her. If I had the money and the means to do so I would want there to be tons more places all over to further help people who have mental health issues. I believe that certain people who end up in jail because of something out of their control should really be sent to a place to help them, not just stow them away until our local governments believe they've gotten over it. Mental health is truly a real thing and a real problem and I will do everything in my power to help.

The dentist gave me a sense of joy and comfort. My visit always felt personal considering they consistently remembered what I’d mentioned from the previous visit, which could have been a year prior and consist of little information like the name of my dog. I always expressed how much I loved the prizes, so my dentist always handed me a few extra tokens with the biggest smile on her face. I’ve always been fond of the enjoyment that came with being independent and having responsibilities. My mother fostered this strength by accepting the strong will embedded within me so that I knew exactly what I wanted. Growing up independent meant that I learned a lot quicker than most and knew my strong suits, like for example, I have always been good at doing small things with my hands such as origami or legos. I also realized that I indulged the most in my science classes. As I matured and put the pieces together, it made me realize that I wanted to major in science to work towards becoming a dentist. I’ve had the same dream since kindergarten, and this is what I have looked forward to ever since I can remember. Regardless of my circumstances, this goal has remained constant and has never failed to pique my curiosity. I feared the normal things a stereotypical young girl would fear, but I never seemed to fear going to or being at the dentist. It has always been one of my absolute favorite places to be. Any time I brought up my tremendous love for being at the dentist, I received taunting looks of disapproval. Not that these sneers bothered me, but fueled my desire, even more, to focus on studying Biology. The objective behind this decision is not only for myself but also to ensure that I could help worried people feel a little more comfortable, and trust that this person will take good care of them and their oral health. I firmly believe that sometimes it’s not the action that is intimidating, but who is performing the action that can matter most. I vividly remember being a little girl so excited to hear about an upcoming dentist appointment. It was never something I had to mentally prepare for, unlike other things. I never once felt overwhelmed. Now it is clear to me that the character and personality of the person performing the action are the most impactful. It is vital for me to get a strong college education so that I can pursue my career goals in dentistry. After considering and reconsidering, I decided that what’s best for me is to graduate high school early. Some of the things I am looking forward to in college are club opportunities and meeting people from different cultures. My biggest accomplishment in life would be living each stage of my life to the fullest, and I believe college is exactly where I should begin to make that happen for myself.