Growing up, I always had it in my heart to want to go over to my elderly neighbors just to keep them company and help with whatever I could even when they did not ask. I was always told it is a great thing to help others especially those in need or who have trouble doing certain things. Since then, I have always wanted a job where I will be able to help others and put a smile on someone's face. I cannot say I have everything but I do know I have more than those who live out on the street. In my spare time, I do like to go out and help where I can whether it be volunteering at a food bank or even gathering donations for a local shelter. I find it hard to look at those on the streets and not want to help plus the smile I get to put on their faces is worth it in the end. I like to think that I have an overly kind and sensitive heart. I am always looking for ways to brighten someone's day by helping with the simple things even when I have a bunch of things to do myself. I enjoy putting others ahead of my happiness in order just to get a smile from them. Some people find it hard to ask for help even when it is offered. It is important to show others that they are not a burden for asking for help. It is something everyone needs at some point in their life and those who are willing will be there to provide that help. I grew up thinking if I asked for help I was being an inconvenience to the person I was asking therefore I hated the thought of asking for anything. People should not have to feel this way which is why I like to spread my ability to help others when the opportunity arises. It is hard to ask for help at times especially when you think you have it all together. Helping others whether it is a friend, family member, or even someone that is a victim of a natural disaster, they will appreciate it. It is so amazing to see the groups of people willing to travel to go help those in other states and countries just to volunteer their time. I want to be able to make that type of difference one day to someone.

I know a lot of people say this, but I have not had an easy life. When I was younger, I lived with my grandma and my great-grandma up until she passed in 2012. In 2017 at the age of 16, I ended up moving in with my now ex-boyfriend of 5 years. During those 5 years, I went through a series of trauma, mental abuse, and emotional abuse. I had to stop talking to my friends and family, dropped out of college, and tried taking my life on two different occasions. A little over a year ago, I finally had the nerve to leave, Looking back, that was the best choice I have ever made. I now am happier than I ever have been, have a beautiful two-month-old baby boy, and the best fiance I could ask for. It took a lot to get to where I am now and I have my grandma to thank for all of that. No matter what I was going through, she stood by my side through all the good and bad choices I made and helped me realize my full potential as an adult and woman. She guided me and led me through the daily struggles I faced, stayed up late at night to just be there when I needed to cry, and was always there to hold my hand and say "I told you so" every time she was right and I was wrong. I grew up without my mom. She was 16 when she had me and was too interested in college guys and partying to worry about her two children. I relied on my grandma for full support and she never failed to be there to offer that. From day one, she was the one to motivate me to follow my dreams, join something I was weary about such as dance classes or the music extracurriculars I participated in, and get good grades to one day go to college. She wanted me to be the first in our family to graduate college and I still plan on doing so to make her proud. When she found out I am enrolled back in college after being forced to drop out a couple of years ago she was over the moon. She offered to come watch my baby so I could get work done, asked nonstop questions, and even had to gloat to her friends about it. I feel like I make her proud and I just want to continue to do that and never disappoint her. In conclusion, my grandmother has made the biggest impact in my life by always being by my side, encouraging me to go above and beyond, and giving me her full support on things whether she agreed with my choices or not. Thanks to her, I am learning to reach my full potential of one day being able to help others and put a smile on people's faces through my line of work.

Not many people today understand how important breast health is to a woman and what outcomes can come from it. From mothers breastfeeding to those who end up with breast cancer, the awareness and information is not spread as often as it should be. I am currently a 21-year-old first-time mom. My son is about to turn 3 months old on August 4th. One of my main goals, when I found out I was pregnant, was to breastfeed my baby after reading and all the health benefits breastfeeding would do for both my son and me. The one thing I was never offered was any information from my OBGYN on lactation or breastfeeding. It is one thing I felt was important and it was the one thing I was not offered or even talked about. When my baby was born, he immediately tried latching on to eat. I did not have any nurses or doctors to help me and it was extremely painful for me. Later on, I learned I wasn't able to breastfeed due to lack of production and the nurses and lactation doctor I had made it seem like it was all my fault thus making me feel like I failed my child. This is one of the main reasons I plan on pursuing a degree in nursing to hopefully be able to help women get the help and support needed unlike what I ended up with. Another reason breast health has become so important to me is due to the number of people I have lost to breast cancer. In 2012, I lost my grandma who was my rock to breast cancer. It was overlooked when she ended up in the hospital for unknown health reasons only to be caught after it was too late. A woman I was close with recently found out she had breast cancer and ended up dying in the ICU exactly four days later to it being so severe she would not react to treatment and it only made her weaker. We then found out this could have been the main reason her sweet baby girl was born prematurely and ended up dying at 29 weeks old. She left behind a husband, three kids, and a ton of family and friends who love and adore her. Breast health is not emphasized enough and not enough information is given on the topic to women. As a woman, I feel we deserve to know more about breast health instead of only learning about it when we are needing a mammogram. I have not been to a single appointment where this has ever been brought up unless it is something I bring up myself. I want to be able to be the one to possibly stop things like this from happening in the future to others as it has me. No one deserves to lose their life over something that could have been overlooked or not known about due to the lack of information given. Also, new moms do not deserve to be shamed for not being able to breastfeed or produce like I was so I want to be able to help those who I can and help make a difference to them.

I have always been an avid Taylor Swift fan. I had tickets to her Eras Tour concert in Pittsburgh PA but I had to end up selling them due to having a baby boy who right now loves falling asleep to T.S. music. When this album came out, I listened to it on repeat for weeks and currently have it saved on my Spotify and Apple playlist. My favorite song on the album would have to be "How You Get The Girl". It stuck out to me the first time I heard it and now looking back on it, it reminds me of how my relationship started. Listening to the song over and over again, the lyrics stuck out. My now fiance was terrified to ask me out let alone ask me to be his wife. Her words "I want you for worse or for better, I would wait forever and ever" are some of the words my fiance used to propose knowing this is my favorite song. He essentially made it Taylor Swift themed! I feel I have a strong connection to this song. Tayor Swift's songs have a lot of emotion in them. This song tells a story of a relationship gone bad to a happy ending unlike most of her breakup songs or songs about her exes that we all love and adore. Everyone has had problems in their relationship and I am guilty of that. We dated for a few months then ended up breaking it off for two months before getting back together. Her song talks about how they were apart for months and how the guy was too afraid to tell the girl exactly what he wanted. Months later he came back and was scared to tell her to "get the girl". That is how it went for me. He was too afraid at first to tell me what he wanted and how he felt. Everything was much easier and happier after we made it past that point. Aside from that, this song is catchy and tells an amazing story. The way she expresses her emotion through words brings out the true meaning to her listeners and helps reel them in. This song will always be one of my top songs on the 1989 album due to the significant meaning and connection that I feel to this song. Now, instead of me being the only Swiftie in my household, I am slowly dragging my fiance into the T.S. world and my two-month-old son loves listening to her newest album when we go on drives and to help him sleep at night!