I am currently a history major at Montana State University Billings in my second year at college. I spent my first year of college in Bozeman where I was originally an art major but changed to history. I am a history major because many things in history fascinate me, and I want to turn my interest into a career. The thing that I am most interested in is the history of early Christianity, and I am also interested in early Islam and would love to teach it to students as a professor. I am also interested in other topics that not many people talk about such as the Second Industrial Revolution and American culture in the 50s and 60s. I want to earn my Bachelor's degree, then hopefully go on to Graduate school then become either a professor, historian, or archivist. One of my strengths is that I am curious. I love to learn and always want to know more on topics I am interested in. This strength is great for wanting to go into history. I want to learn historical events, and I want to learn how archives connect to those events. I believe that my curiosity and love of learning would help me in a history career. I weakness of mine is that I have always been introverted and reserved. That is not always bad, but this has gotten in the way of being assertive and speaking out in situations. But as I continue to grow as a person, I have become less shy of asking questions when not understanding something, and have worked to become more assertive. My name is Makayla, and I live in Billings Montana as a sophomore at Montana State University Billings. I am a Muslim revert, and have been working to develop my future and myself as a person. As I have said before, I love to learn and that is a great fit to my career of interest. I believe I deserve this scholarship to help me develop my education. I am paying for college out of my pocket, without the help of my parents. Since student loans include interest, I cannot take any out. These situations make it more difficult to pay for college, especially on my own. As I get older, I have to start thinking about other expenses like getting a car, an apartment, moving, etc. I am also supporting myself in these expenses. A scholarship such as this would alleviate some of the hardship of supporting myself on my own and I thank Allah for all He has done to provide for me and bless me with everything I have. My favorite movie is probably Prince of Egypt. My greatest achievement as a Muslim would probably be reverting itself. It is the biggest blessing I have ever been given and through becoming a Muslim, I have really grown as a person. I have a drive to help people and do good, and want to do more, and I take my future and hardships head on with the help of Allah. Because of His guidance, I have improved as a person and hope to grow more.

Maintaining one’s personal wellness and health is very important to success and happiness, including in college. It isn’t just physical wellness we must look out for, but also mental health. College can be very draining, and students oftentimes do not look out for their physical health in school, and thus their mental health has gone down as well. It has certainly happened to me as well, but I do my best to take care of myself to be successful. Firstly, it is important that we remain healthy by eating healthy, nutritious food. Universities offer meal plans to ensure that you get the proper nutrients they need. Many students do not eat three meals a day, but I always did to remain proper functioning throughout the day. Eating cooked meals instead of microwave dinners and ramen noodles was definitely a good choice for me so I could get proper nutrients and good functioning and energy throughout the day. For some examples in college, I ate salads more often than I used to before, and for energy, in the mornings I swapped out coffee for a healthier plant-based lotus drink. Fasting is also a great way to remain wellness. From the end of March to the end of April I fasted for Ramadan. There are many great benefits to fasting such as improving heart health, reducing inflammation, and boosting brain function. We can also maintain physical health through workouts. I have been on and off a few times with this, but this year I really want to work on reducing belly fat and improving my physical health. This year, I have been interested in pilates and ab workouts, which I have done a few times. But it is not only important to prioritize our physical health but also our mental health. Many times students do not look out for their mental health or do not get the help they need. Many times a decrease in physical health will lead to a decrease in mental health. During college, my mental health improved a lot. For me, the reason why is because I converted to Islam. But whether you are religious or not, connecting with your spirituality can really improve your mental health. You can pray, meditate, read, or go on walks. I like to do this when I am stressed or having a bad day. Taking breaks is very important to not overwhelm yourself. Whenever I got frustrated or demotivated while doing homework or studying, I would make sure to take breaks. Another way to look out for mental wellness is by sharing your feelings and problems. In college when something bothered me, I spoke out to my friends and family. And if it was an academic worry, I would talk to my professors. It is very important to speak about the things that bother you and not bottle them up. Take the time to reflect mentally and tap into yourself and your spirituality to improve your mental health. Taking care of my health and prioritizing myself before anything has definetely helped me so far in college. I believe that if I didn't look out for myself either physically or mentally I would not have done as well.

A little over 8 months ago, I reverted to Islam, and it was the best decision I have made in my life, praise be to God. I grew up Christian and when I started questioning my faith, I became an atheist around the end of middle school or freshman year of high school. A couple of years ago, I became curious about Islam and debated with myself whether or not I should revert, and finally decided to around 9 months ago. Since becoming a Muslim, my life has changed dramatically, including my career goals and how I would approach my education. For the longest time, ever since I was a little girl, I had a passion for art. It was my favorite thing, and wanted to take it professionally. I wanted to be a professional artist, selling and auctioning my art and putting it in museums. However, there was a problem- I almost always drew and painted people. In Islam, it is a sin to make pictures of things with a soul. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him) said in an authentic hadith: “I heard Muhammad saying, ‘Whoever makes a picture in this world will be asked to put life into it on the Day of Resurrection, but he will not be able to do so.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 5963) Though I had this great love for art, my Lord always comes first. I wasn’t aware of this before, so I was still making art with people in it after I reverted. But I realized soon after I reverted, I was starting to lose my passion for it. I started making art less and did not desire to make art anymore. It is an absolutely crushing feeling, to realize that you have lost the passion that you have had your whole life. I was lost at that point and didn’t know what I wanted for a career. I didn’t know what else I loved so much that I wanted to take it to the professional level. But later that turned out to be history. Though very disheartening, I truly believe that my loss of passion for art was Allah’s guidance. One step away from sin and towards pleasing and obeying Him. I have also loved history for a long time. I love many parts of history, but of course, I am biased and love pre-Islamic and early Islamic history. I love learning about how my religion started and how it spread. I am now majoring in history and in the future I would love to be an archivist or perhaps even a historian, further studying theology, particularly in the history of Islam and Christianity. I would love to take my knowledge and love for my religion to a professional level. Unfortunately, it is difficult to pay for college. My parents cannot afford to help pay for my tuition, so I have had to pay for it out of my own pocket. A way to help with this is by taking out a loan, but interest is a major sin in Islam, so I must avoid it; because of this, it becomes very difficult for Muslims to pay for college. But no matter what, I will always strive to please Allah and avoid sin. A scholarship such as this would greatly help me to pay for college in a permissible way. By earning scholarships and paying for college easier, I work towards my goal of going into history for a career!

Poverty and hunger have been a huge issue, not just locally, but worldwide. These things are social issues because without food and other necessary resources, crimes such as robbery increase. Capitalism has also not accommodated those below the poverty line and often ignores their needs. Simply “working harder” does not solve the issue of hunger and lack of resources, as people still cannot achieve a liveable income and afford basic needs even when working three jobs. This is a serious issue that must be fixed. Though one individual cannot solve world hunger, we can work together and locally to make a difference. From 2008-2018, I was a Girl Scout. The Bronze Award is one of the highest achievements a Girl Scout can earn and must be earned by doing something that can improve your community. My troop donated food to a local organization called Tumbleweed, an organization that helps runaway teens. This is one small way that I have helped with a local and global issue- by donating food locally, and these small deeds can turn into larger ones. This summer, I also plan to volunteer at my local food bank to help with hunger in my city. One thing about me is that I am a convert to Islam- I converted about 8 months ago. In Islam, every year one must donate 2.5% of their wealth to charity, this tax is called zakat. I donated my zakat to my local food bank to help the issue of hunger, even if it is just a little bit. Donations like these come with great rewards, both with yourself internally and externally, and of course by helping those in need. In the future, I hope to help more with the issue of poverty and hunger, a calamity that has been a problem in the world for centuries. There are many social issues that are a problem in the world, one of the most prominent being racial injustice, and I have learned that social media is a very powerful tool for that. The Black Lives Matter Movement has sparked in recent years with the death of George Floyd. This has sparked outrage on social media, and I participated in spreading information and expressing my frustrations with police brutality, especially against Black Americans. Through collective efforts, protests have broken out worldwide, people are more educated on police brutality, and reforms have been made for police brutality. This shows that if we work together and participate on an individual level, we can make the world a better place.

I recently started my freshman year at Montana State University, so even though I may not be able to give college students a tip, I can definitely give high school students one. This can apply to high school students of any year! My best back to school tip is to ask for help, as it will definitely help you in the long run. I had to learn this the hard way, as when in high school, I would be too afraid to ask for help when I didn't understand something. This was especially in my math class- I would oftentimes not understand something but would be too afraid to ask for help. Because of this, I would continue to not understand the content. However, I learned to not be afraid to speak up, because afterwards I would understand the content better and get better grades! So high school students- I understand the fear of asking for help; there's a lot of worries that come with that kind of thing- trust me I get it. But also trust me when I say that asking for help will prove very useful in the long run and you'll be grateful you did it!

I would say that I work well both with others and independently, and I am both creative and logical in my thinking. Though I believe in logical things, I am also creative and a dreamer. My favorite thing is art, and my dream is to pursue it as a career. I consider myself to be a two sided person in other ways as well. When you first get to know me, I am rather quiet. But when I get comfortable around you, I love to talk. Although I am not religious, and believe in scientific things, I am also spiritual and still believe in the after life.

From a young age, I have always loved art. In elementary school, I would always get compliments from teachers, my parents, and their friends. Later on, I developed a passion for art and was doing it all the time. At first, it was merely something that I did in my free time, not really planning on taking it into my future. Because of this, I was scared and unsure of what I wanted to do in life because while I did have other interests, I didn't want to take any of them to the professional level. My dad, however said that I should use it as a career. At first I disagreed, as I didn't want to sell my art. However, my opinion begun to change. Eventually I decided that it would be an amazing thing to take my passion to the professional level. However, about a year ago, both one of my teachers and my dad said that I won't be able to make enough money to live off of just by selling my art alone. When I was told this, I was heart broken and I felt like my dreams were crushed right before me. I figured they were right and I gave up my dream of becoming an artist, at least for the time being. I decided instead that I wanted to work in the history field as a history museum curator or archivist, and I went along with it for a while before realizing that this isn't what I wanted in life. All along I still had a passion or art, and a lingering desire to be an artist. I decided that I wanted to go after my dream and that I shouldn't let other people's words tear me down and dictate my future.

Students use many different methods of studying- They may use flashcards, join study groups, or read the material over until they remember it for their test. For me, I use the last method I mentioned. It is the strategy that personally helps me the best in tests. When I have notes or a study guide, I will first start by reading over the answers, and will read them a couple more times. Then, I test my memory by asking myself the questions, and seeing if I can remember the answer. I will keep doing this until I remember all of the answers, and I will do this until the day of the test. This is the strategy that works for me. I usually do well on my tests, and I always end my semesters with all A's and a B. Although last year in my junior year, I ended the school year with straight A's. Not only that, but I have kept a 4.0 GPA for over a year. This is the method that I use to help me study and pass tests, as it helps me do well- read over the material and ask myself the questions over and over until I know the answers by heart.

Nature can be something as big as a magnificent sunset or something as simple as a bumblebee on a flower. Nature is all around us and something seemingly simple can still be very beautiful. This is why I love nature- it is all around us and it is beautiful. I like to appreciate many things in nature- sunrises and sunsets, mountains, open fields, bees and butterflies flowers. Nature is an easy way to get your mind off of things. You can look out your window to look at the clouds or take a walk in the woods. Nature is fascinating to me in the way that it can put one's mind to ease just by its existence. And simply looking at nature is one way that I appreciate it. When I am camping, I like to look out to the forest and mountains. When I am hiking, I admire these as well as flowers along the trail and insects crawling and flying around. When there is a sunrise or sunset, I like to go outside and admire it. Sometimes I simply like to look at the cows in the field beyond my house. However, I cannot look at these things forever, and they do not last forever either. That is why I take pictures of nature so I can appreciate it longer. I take pictures of all sorts of things in nature- sunrises and sunsets, dewdrops on leaves, insects, mountains, animals in Yellowstone National Park. I think nature is something everyone should appreciate more. And it is quite easy as it is all around us and is more beautiful than one might think. It is a good way to relax and, and even though nature will always be around, we won't so we should appreciate it while we are around.

When it comes to motivation, most people may think of a role model in their life or their dream career to keep themselves motivated. While I do that as well, I am a little different when it comes to what keeps me motivated. It is difficult to keep motivated in a time like this. The world is currently dealing with a lot of problems like that of COVID-19 and global warming, so it is understandable to have difficulty keeping motivated. So instead, rather than using long term goals to keep motivated, I use short term goals and rewards. For example, if I am having a difficult day at work, I may treat myself to a bakery item or make myself my favorite comfort food for dessert. I also like to think about my plans for the near future as a means to keep me motivated. For example, I am going on vacation and to a concert this summer, and those things keep me going. I use these and a bunch of other little things to keep me motivated. There is the famous saying, "It's the little things that count," and I believe it is very true in this case, as it is the little things that keep me going in life. Thinking about these things has really helped me in keeping me motivated, and I believe it can help others as well.

A song that inspires me is the song "Epiphany" by Kim Seokjin, a member of the boyband BTS. The song is a solo song in BTS's album, "Love Yourself: Answer", and it is about loving yourself. This song is very important to me because it is the song that inspired me to love myself in a dark chapter of my life. Before I had listened to the song or even got into BTS, I was battling depression. Before my sophomore year, which is when I first listened to the song, I had gotten therapy and was put on medication. It helped my depression, but I still definitely didn't like myself, let alone love myself. I had gotten into BTS in April of 2019, and listened to Epiphany later on. When I listened to the song, I paid close attention to the lyrics and what the message was trying to say. The chorus in particular sticks out to me, where it says: "I'm the one I should love in this world, Shining me, precious soul of mine, I finally realized so I love me, Not so perfect but so beautiful, I'm the one I should love" By the time the song was finished, I was in tears. I had an epiphany of my own, and it was like a lightbulb went off in my head. I realized in that moment that I should try and love myself. Nowadays, I am doing much better. I am more confident in my looks, I have more hope for my future, and I feel happier overall. This is all thanks to BTS and and their comforting words. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't even consider loving myself, so it isn't an exaggeration to say that they've changed my life. That's why Epiphany inspires me.

A piece of art that inspires me is Adam Rolston's "I am out therefore I am". The piece depicts a hand holding a card that says the same words. This particular piece of art, along with many others, was made in light of the Stonewall riots of 1969. The piece depicts the pride of being LGBTQ+, and being unashamed to show your identity. Many art pieces such as this one are a form of activism to speak out against homophobia, both societal and systemic, as both were still very prominent at the time this piece was created in the 1980's. I believe that art is a language of its own, because you can depict your thoughts and feelings in it, as well as societal issues such as homophobia. And with interpretation, you can really find out the message the artist is trying to say. Pieces like "I am out therefore I am" does just this, as it speaks out against discrimination against LGBTQ+ people and says that we are proud to be who we are. Many other art pieces do this as well. Currently in my art class, we are doing an independent study where we could choose our own topic. I chose the topic "Sexuality and Gender Identity". In some of my art pieces, I did something similar to Adam Rolston where I depicted issues within the LGBTQ+ community, such as gender dysphoria, as well as a Stonewall- inspired piece. I also made pieces depicting the love in woman-loves-woman relationships and religious queer people. I and many others want to make art pieces that depict societal issues and share them with the world. It is one way to share important messages and that is why Adam Rolston's "I am out therefore I am" inspires me.

This is my dog Bailey! She is a yellow labrador retriever, and we got her a little bit before my birthday over a year ago. She is very loving, friendly, and a people pleaser. She loves to play and will never get tired if you play fetch with a ball with her. She is two years old so she is still young with a lot of energy. We have another dog named Macie who is a mixed breed. She is over a year old and also has a lot of energy- she and Bailey love to play together.

The thing in my life that I am most passionate about is art. I have been doing it my whole life, and want to take it to the professional level one day. Art is something that I can portray my thoughts and emotions in. It is something that can have deep meaning, or no depth at all. Whether it is doing a big project that takes me weeks or just a quick sketch, art is something that calms me and is what I can put my talent in. I believe that art is a language in itself. A particular piece of art can take great analysis, and can have a deep meaning that can only be understood through observation and interpretation, and it tells a great story. I do this in my art, and I hope I can tell my stories, thoughts, and emotions to people in this language called art. My greatest achievement regarding my art in my life so far is when it won two blue ribbons at my local art exhibition. Last summer, I entered two paintings into my local youth art exhibit, and they both won a blue ribbon. I remember how proud of myself I felt in that moment, and it felt like the first step in my art career. After high school, I plan on attending Montana State University and majoring it art. During and after college, I want to continue making art and show it to others. I want to sell and auction my art, enter art competitions, and put it in museums.

I believe that giving is a sign of gratitude, love and generosity. It doesn't have to be expensive, creative, fancy, or even a physical item, but giving a gift, love, or respect shows that you value someone as a person. And when you give back, it shows that you equally value them. Giving is something that builds relationships and bonds, and it is a very valuable thing. It strengthens friendships, romantic relationships, and familial relationships as well. If you do not give and get love and respect, there cannot be a proper relationship. That is why giving is so important. I give back by showing love to certain people, and respect to everyone. When a friends gives me something, I give in return by offering to hang out with them, give them a gift, or get food for them. Just yesterday I bought my best friend a couple of cookies because she always loves me- that is the power of getting and giving back.

After high school, I am planning to attend Montana State University and earn a Bachelor's degree in art. I am always practicing art and will keep on doing so into my future. In the future after I graduate college, I am hoping to become a professional artist. During my time in college and after I graduate, I want to sell and auction my art, put it in museums, and enter art competitions. Art is my passion, and have been doing it pretty much my whole life. It would be amazing if I can take my passion to the professional level and make a living off of doing what I love. I currently live in Billings, Montana, but plan to move to Bozeman for a little while after I graduate high school for college. After I graduate college, I plan to move to Oregon or somewhere in Canada where I will continue to create art.

There are a lot of small things that can make a person happy, including me. When I am having a hard day, I like to eat my my favorite comfort food for dessert, just so I can feel better after a bad day. Or when I come home from school and I am greeted by my dogs, I love the serotonin boost that my beloved pets give me. They always jump on me, whine excitedly for my attention, and cuddle up to me when I retreat to my room to do my homework, and that brings me happiness. The thing that especially gives me happiness is my favorite artist. Everything, even the littlest things they do make me happy. Whether it's the release of a new song, or if they post on social media, or even just a cute picture I found of one of the band members is enough to improve my day. I believe that everyone should think about the little things that make them happy. When one takes the little things into consideration for happiness, it can improve their whole day.

Police brutality is a big issue in the world, and unfortunately it's nothing new. Racial discrimination from the police force against African Americans has been going on for decades, and it seems only now that people are talking about it. People like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor were killed due to police brutality, and it has brought up a storm in the media and among the African American community. Many people online speak passionately about these issues, including me. Over the course of the pandemic, people have become more socially aware and are speaking about more social issues, including the most prevalent movement that has been brought up recently, Black Lives Matter. I am one of those people who have spoken on it. Now even though I have never went to a Black Lives Matter protest (due to time constraints and the fact that there were none in my area) myself, I did speak about it on a very, perhaps surprisingly, powerful place; social media. On social media, me and many others spoke about how black people are treated among the police force and racial discrimination in this area. I also retweeted important information to spread awareness. When millions of people do this together, it creates a big impact. Due to the Black Lives Matter movement, Derick Chauvin, the murderer of George Floyd, was arrested. After spreading information regarding police brutality, it all made me more aware of the world around me. I became more aware of different social issues and also spoke about other important issues such as Protect Asian Lives and Free Palestine. This is the impact that social media and a huge social movement has made on me. Now I fight with others to end racial and ethnic discrimination.

When we look at today's statistics, we see that less and less people are enrolling in college, and it is because college has become too expensive for people to afford. When people don't go to college, they have less opportunity to get the jobs they want and usually end up with a lower income than if they were to attend college. And this largely affects students from lower income families, which creates big educational inequality. I think it is unfair that many students are not getting the careers that they want simply because they or their families aren't making as much money as others. So I believe we should all stand for lower college costs so that everyone has the opportunity to get into the careers they want no matter their financial situation.

The biggest problem when it comes to misogyny is the fact that it is so normalized, even in today's world. Sexism against women has been a problem for a long time, and is the oldest form of oppression. Because of this, men have gotten so used to getting their way that many of them don't realize that they are the problem for women. In order to progress as a society as a whole, we need to deconstruct these very normalized misogynistic views in men and in society overall; the best way to empower women is to let us be heard and to have everyone treat us as equals to men. Historically, If a woman were to stand up for herself, she would be putting herself in life-threatening danger. Unfortunately, this still happens today. Women have been severely injured, killed, raped, and kidnapped for rejecting men. All throughout history, women have been viewed as inferior to men, and this creates a power dynamic for men. Because of this, women have to withhold criticism to men in order to not get hurt. Men get so used to having their way and having power over women because of this that it creates male fragility in some. So when women stand up for themselves or call men out for their harmful behaviors, some react negatively and only say more harmful and sexist things to them. The problem with majorities is that a lot don't realize, or don't want to realize that they are the problem. This is especially prevalent in men considering misogyny has been around for so long. So when they are faced with criticism, they often respond with willful ignorance, and aren't willing to learn that men as a whole are the problem and are holding women back. So in order to progress, men must all be willing to learn and realize the harm they bring to women. In society overall, there are issues that hold women back from doing what they want. For example, if a woman wanted to get her tubes tied because she didn't want kids, she would have to get permission from her husband first. The problem with this is that the woman cannot have free choice to do what she wants with her own body; she has to get permission from a man. Another example is the wage gap- women get paid less than men. Most recently in 2020, women get paid 84% of what men get paid. Unfortunately, many people do not believe that the wage gap exists. This is another big issue that needs to be looked at more in order for women to be brought the same opportunities as men. There are many issues in society that are strangely normalized- the wage gap, abortion(such as the Texas abortion law that says a woman cannot get an abortion after six weeks), violence against women, among many others. I believe that the problem here is sexism is so normalized. That is what holds women back, what doesn't allow them the same opportunities as men, why male fragility is so prominent. There are countless harmful things that men say to women, and pretty much all can be debunked. They think that feminism is sexist to men, they shame women for having sex, they blame women for sexual assault and rape, they don't believe the statistics of violence against women. The issue is that many men are willfully ignorant, and the best way to empower women is for them to listen to what we have to say so they can work with us to take down sexism together.

I think everyone should have goals or dreams. It is the best way to stay motivated and to have something great to work towards. A lot of times, people will not have clear goals or dreams in mind. This will lead them to feel lost; they will feel unmotivated and will give up easily. But I do have a dream, and that's what keeps me going to work hard More specifically, I have a dream of becoming an artist one day. I want to be able sell my art and put it in museums. Art is my passion. I've been doing it pretty much my whole life and it is my favorite pass time. I think it would be a dream to make money off of doing what I love. I plan on going to Montana State University where I will pursue an art degree, and it's not easy. There are many difficult parts of the process- working on graduating, submitting enough scholarships, getting enough money to afford all four years of college, and figuring out how I'm going to make enough of a living off of making art. It's difficult, but even so I still continue because this is my dream and I want to work towards it. Even if someone doesn't have a dream or goals, I think looking forward to the little things in life can keep someone going as well. With me, I think about my favorite artist having a concert soon, Christmas coming up, and the vacation to Washington D.C. this summer. These are the little things that keep me thinking positive, and give me a reason to keep going in life. I think finding happiness in the little things can allow anyone to keep a positive mindset.

There is the well-known saying "Good things come to those who wait," and I think everyone has had an experience where this saying becomes true. Whether it's saving money for a concert you wanted to go to, or waiting a while at a restaurant for your food to come out. Or in my case, waiting for the job I wanted to get. I currently work as a courtesy clerk for Albertson's, where my main jobs are to bag groceries for costumers and bring carts inside. And although there are aspects of my job that I like, like seeing and interacting with babies, talking to coworkers, and improving my communication skills, it still isn't the best suited job for me. I have anxiety, and there are certain situations at my job that will get me frazzled, and that definitely doesn't help me. I also tend to work more productively independently. So instead of quitting or jumping to another department, I waited. I want to be a cut fruit clerk, where I can work anxiety-free and am able to work independently. I have to be 18 to work in that department, however, so I waited until my chance. Every other courtesy clerk has either quit or moved departments after a year at most, but I worked in my position for over a year waiting for my chance. And now a couple of weeks ago, my boss said he would be able to move me to the produce department, and I will be getting the position I want sometime soon. My case here is one example of why being patient is important. Instead of jumping at whatever looks good right away, wait patiently so you can get what you really want. Because in the end, good things come to those who wait.

My favorite artist is a boy band from South Korea, BTS. BTS are unique artists- through their careers, they teach their fans to love themselves and how to find themselves. They have created numerous albums and songs depicting themes like mental health, struggles of an artist, and self-love. They have also expressed these themes through the works of other people like the book "Demian" by Hermann Hesse and Carl Jung's theory on The Map of the Soul.

There are many issues we face in the world today: war, poverty, climate change, social injustice, disease, and climate change. Although we as a society as a whole actively fight against these issues, unfortunately the world will always have complications. Even so, we still fight. One issue that I in particular am passionate about is social injustice, specifically against racial minorities, the LGBTQ+ community, and women. The world we live in today is becoming more liberal, more open minded. There are many issues in the world that the younger generation specifically advocates for. Some include feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, Black Lives Matter, Protect Asian Lives, and Free Palestine. I am a supporter of all of these movements. I am a part of the younger generation, and I am one of those in that generation who advocates for human rights. I am a woman, a part of the LGBTQ+ community, and an ally to different racial, ethnic, and religious minorities. So these kinds of issues are very important to me. And like many others, I advocate for these problems on a surprisingly effective place- the Internet. Although I do most of my activism online, I also act locally as well. I am a part of my school’s Sexuality and Gender alliance, where we provide a safe space for students of the LGBTQ+ community. This year, we plan on integrating a gender-neutral bathroom into our school and creating an informational pamphlet about different LGBTQ+ topics for students to read. This pamphlet will also provide resources for students. We also plan on speaking about the community and important issues to middle schools. I also speak on issues online as well, more specifically Twitter. I talk about issues of homophobia as well as misogyny on my account, such as harmful things heterosexual people and men say to members of the community and women. Although, unfortunately, I still have a small account. I have less than 200 followers, but my words are still reaching people, and that’s what matters. I also spoke about Black Lives Matter, Protect Asian Lives, and Free Palestine. A lot of social movements start on the Internet, and it is highly impactful. Some may not know, so I will talk about what each of these movements are specifically. Black Lives Matter focuses on police brutality against black people, and the overall unfair treatment they get in the justice system and police force. Protect Asian Lives stresses the hate crimes Asians, especially in the U.S. have dealt with in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic. These hate crimes are very unfair, as some people are essentially blaming all Asians for the pandemic. And finally, Free Palestine focuses on the oppression of Palestinians by Israelis. This movement is highly misunderstood, as many people think it is a war between Muslims and Jews, when it is essentially Israelis forcing Palestinians out of their homes as part of a so-called "ethnic cleansing". I personally retweet important informational Tweets, sign petitions, and say my own words. Although these things may seem small, they create a huge impact. The more people speak on the issue, the more it will spread on the Internet. Eventually, these issues reach the news where people who don’t use social media will see it. These issues will reach the government as well. Now, Derek Chauvin, the murderer of George Floyd, an African American man who died to police brutality in 2020 has been arrested, and refugees in Palestine have been donated money for things like food, shelter, and water. This is all due to people on social media advocating for these issues. Unfortunately, I live in a small city so I don’t have protests for big issues like these. But even so, I am still making an impact, even if it is small. As a member of two oppressed groups, minorities and women getting social justice and equality is very important to me. Unfortunately, others do not care about things like these. Some do not care about these issues, and others simply don’t agree with the movements. But I hope as time moves forward, people will become more open minded about these problems. The Internet is a very impactful place, and I think it is a great way to spread information and activism. And although I also work in person in my community, this is how I bring about change in the world.