In society, women are perceived to not be as successful as men. We are sometimes found to be successful because of the men who help us. We are expected to owe our success to others. As I'm writing this, I'm a 16-year-old senior girl. I tell someone I'm graduating early, I want to rush my life and don't love my family because I want to go to college. (Unfortunately, someone did tell me this.) If a boy in my small town said this, he would get congratulated + told he must be hardworking and smart. I am determined to change this narrative and help other girls like me. Ever since I was a little girl, I noticed different things than others. How a car's proportions seemed off. The texture of books. I was told I was dramatic and noticed things I didn't need to. Then as I got older, I started thinking about my questions. Why did the author use that text font? Oh, because it matches the aesthetic of the cover. Why is the texture of the sidewalk changing in the zoo? To get a feel for the land it was designed for. I didn't realize not everyone noticed the details of the world around us, or that others designed. I realized I wasn't accepted and couldn't find others like me because nobody in my area took in the details that I did. It wasn't until my mom said "You have a creative eye. You see things nobody else does because one day you will be the person creating them" that I thought maybe I could use my strengths in the business / creative world. Now I have a mission. I want to go to college and get a creative business degree. Ideally, I would like to get into a prestigious university. (Chapman, UCLA, and NYU are my dream schools!) I want to work for Disney, managing and creating details that are the Disney magic in parks worldwide. I also know that I will continue running my business (maddiesmagicallife.com) with a different mindset. Yes, I love creating what I do now, but I cannot wait to pursue this passion with more drive and seriousness from the things I learn in college. I want to be an advocate for girls in my position currently. I'm lucky to have a support system at home but know not everyone is in a like environment. Even if one day I help *1* girl be more confident in themselves and their abilities, it will be worth it. I've already started putting in hard work. I am graduating a year early while doing cyber school through my district. I use the program for acceleration and a challenge. I run my own business, but want to put in even more effort after high school. I am applying for scholarships because I know I cannot go to college without financial help. I'm babysitting, housesitting, playing volleyball, reading, running and more. Overall, I'm finding what makes me happy while creating a future where I can be the best version of myself. I've found that my passion is business. I want to take that passion and apply it to helping others find the magic in themselves/life. I cannot wait to help other girls like younger Maddie. A girl who had no friends, was made fun of, self-conscious, and just wanted to grow up to do her own thing. I'm doing what I am now to make little Maddie proud.

My dream version of my future self is educated, well-traveled, married, helping others, confident in myself, and overall living in the moment while never taking for granted what I have.

My father is one of my best friends. And I know that a lot of kids probably say that. But I truly mean it. I dread the day I will have to move on without him in my life. I'm very grateful to have a supportive, funny, hardworking, loving father figure that some are not so lucky to have. I will never take our relationship for granted. Or how everyone says I'm his little clone. I hope I don't look like a 42-year-old male?! (Yes, I still love him even with those funny quirks!) My dad has had his fair share of struggles and is not perfect, no one is. But no matter what he has gone through, he rises above it. Now that I'm getting older I realize how many negative situations he blazes through and turns into a positive. He recently told a story about how he hurt his back after breaking his leg when he was in middle school. He couldn't walk on his own. He had to use a walker, no one could figure out what was wrong with him. He had always been a sports-driven kid (1 out of 6 children might spawn a hint of competitive drive) but now he couldn't walk around his own home. Then months later he used a cane to walk into a chiropractor and walked out completely normally. He used that situation as motivation, became a D1 decathlete and is now a chiropractor to help others with the same issues. But that is just what he does for others. Yes, he helps others every day, but he doesn't realize what he does for our home. Life can be stressful. Me and my siblings (I'm 1 of 4 kids) have done cyber school since during the pandemic. I'm also graduating a year early. But because of constantly being home together, we have grown so close. He is my support system, there when I'm crying and need a hug, always willing to make things easier for me, and my optimistic guide. I don't think a 400 - 600 word essay can create a vivid picture for my dad. (But if you are like people we meet at the grocery store - if you see my profile picture, imagine the male version!!!) Overall my dad is more than just the person who always listens to Disney music in the car, taught me how to drive, and will go to Dollar General just to get me ice cream. And he will only sometimes admit it, but he is nervous for me to go to college. Of course, he supports me and my dreams. I'm very lucky. But I want to go to college away from home. The thought of both of us being separated is something we try not to think about. I joke that he will have to come and kill the spiders, take my car to the garage, and walk next to me whenever I have to go somewhere alone in the dark. Dad will be able to see me grow up, graduate high school, then college, and even walk me down the aisle. I know this is probably not enough but: thank you to every dad, but especially mine. Love you to infinity & beyond.

@maddiesmagicallife

My Nintendo game obsession started when I was little. I asked Santa for a DS 3D, saving up my money by doing chores for the newest Mario Party and playing WII sports at my grandparent's house. Now that I am older, I worked for a switch lite. I played Animal Crossing: New Horizons for over 200 hours during the pandemic. My parents got out their Nintendo 64 games for us to play. And most importantly, I've grown closer with family members with our favorite game: Mario Kart. My grandfather has always played games with us. We would play board games before he went to work while we were visiting. Then, the rise of Nintendo started. My brother and I would bring our DS to play Mario Kart & Mario Party at his house. He would try the games, and it soon became a family ritual to play games on the Nintendo. My grandfather (we call him Papa) would drive to our house just to play Mario Kart. Then the pandemic started. The new Animal Crossing was released, Nintendo Legos started coming out, and our Mario Kart tournaments officially started. My brother and I would get up before school to play a few Mario Kart courses on the Switch. But because of the coronavirus outbreak, Papa couldn't visit to play with us. And then we had the question "How can Papa play from his house?". We realized if he had a switch, we could play online mode with him. It was settled, we bought him one for Christmas. At first, when he opened the Nintendo Switch, he was confused. "Why did you get me one? Are you trying to kick me out of our tournaments?" Then we explained, that with the game card of Mario Kart, he could now play from his house and talk over FaceTime. He was ecstatic! He had us immediately come to his house, set it up, and play. We now for almost 2 years FaceTime multiple times a week and play at least 3 Grand Prix a night. Whenever the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Pack tracks were released, he was yelling with joy. He waited months (and is still waiting for the last track and is VERY excited) and would drop everything to play the new releases. For his birthday, we 3D printed him the Egg Cup Trophy from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, because his favorite course is Excitebike Arena. Without playing Nintendo games, I don't think I would be where I am today. A stress reliever, a happy, and exciting part of my life would be gone without it. I treasure the time I have spent playing the games, especially with Papa.

Only one movie? I know right away my answer is Moana. November 23, 2016. The day my favorite movie was released. I didn't watch the movie right away, but by now, I have given enough watches that I think it's forgivable. Disney has always been a massive part of my personality. One word to describe Maddie? Disney. I love lots of movies and even more Disney productions, but no movie brings me as much joy & relaxation as Moana. I think the main reason for my love is the fact I see myself in the movie. I may not be a Wayfinder who wants to sail across the sea and restore the heart of Tefiti, but I want to journey away from home and create my own story. Moana is shown to deal with powerful creatures, obstacles, and lava monsters. But through life, we all have lava monsters of our own. I watch the movie every time I need a pick-me-up. It always seems to calm my nerves. A specific emotional watch was when my dog got the Parvo virus. We had only had her for a week and I was obsessed. We did everything together, I even slept on the floor next to her crate. Then one day she wouldn't move, was vomiting, and I was told I may never get her back. I watched Moana 3 times that day. The grandma in the movie also pulls heartstrings. My grandmother is one of my best friends. I don't know how I will live without her one day. I call her Grandma Tala like in the movie, and we share the Moana love. We joke that we'll get matching tattoos, her a stingray and me a heart of Tefiti. A highlight of my relationship with this iconic Disney movie is watching it in Hawaii. My family (including my grandma) went to Hawaii. One of the movie nights was a showing of Moana. All of us got to watch the movie outside, in Hawaii, all together. It is a core memory I will forever hold close and never take for granted. It's probably silly to have so many connections to one kids movie. But after being picked on for years for wanting to travel, creating my own path, and being myself, I don't care if it is. I'm worried about my college career and life. But whenever I watch Moana I know everything will work out. And I remember the wise words of Moana herself: "There's just no telling how far I'll go".