I became curious about where food came from and I found out about the unsustainability of the agriculture industry and animal cruelty. I became a vegetarian and I learned that being a vegetarian could not only save the lives of animals but also the planet. I've seen how interconnected the agriculture industry, our health, and the planet's health are. I advocate for changes in the agriculture industry so that our earth can still grow food for future generations. Did you know that by some estimates the soil has only 60 years before it will not be fertile? The animal agriculture industry has significant negative impacts and contributes a lot of emissions and I would like to see a world where people don't eat animals. My school and community didn't have any way I could participate in improving our environmental impact so I decided to create an opportunity for myself and others. I am the founder and president of my high school's ECO Club and am currently working on multiple projects to make my school and community more sustainable and eco-friendly. I will also be attending the Teen ECO summit hosted by the Columbus Zoo in November where I will learn from well-known conservationists and experts from all over the world. The ECO club is now working to implement some small and major changes in our community. We are advocating across the school district for plastic-free lunchrooms (replacing with recyclable and compostable items instead), food composting in the cafeteria and kitchen, adding more recycling bins throughout the school and school property, and applying for a grant to purchase solar panels for the schools perfectly flat roofs. Purchasing solar panels will reduce the amount of unsustainable power and will save the school district a lot of money over many years to come.

I became curious about where food came from and I found out about the unsustainability of the agriculture industry and animal cruelty. I became a vegetarian and I learned that being a vegetarian could not only save the lives of animals but also the planet. I've seen how interconnected the agriculture industry, our health, and the planet's health are. I advocate for changes in the agriculture industry so that our earth can still grow food for future generations. Did you know that by some estimates the soil has only 60 years before it will not be fertile? The animal agriculture industry has significant negative impacts and contributes a lot of emissions. My school and community didn't have any way I could participate in improving our environmental impact so I decided to create an opportunity for myself and others. I am the founder and president of my high school's ECO Club and am currently working on multiple projects to make my school and community more sustainable and eco-friendly. I will also be attending the Teen ECO summit hosted by the Columbus Zoo in November where I will learn from well-known conservationists and experts from all over the world. The ECO club is now working to implement some small and major changes in our community. We are advocating across the school district for plastic-free lunchrooms (replacing with recyclable and compostable items instead), food composting in the cafeteria and kitchen, adding more recycling bins throughout the school and school property, and applying for a grant to purchase solar panels for the schools perfectly flat roofs. Purchasing solar panels will reduce the amount of unsustainable power and will save the school district a lot of money over many years to come.

I became curious about where food came from and I found out about the unsustainability of the agriculture industry and animal cruelty. I became a vegetarian and I learned that being a vegetarian could not only save the lives of animals but also the planet. I've seen how interconnected the agriculture industry, our health, and the planet's health are. I advocate for changes in the agriculture industry so that our earth can still grow food for future generations. Did you know that by some estimates the soil has only 60 years before it will not be fertile? The animal agriculture industry has significant negative impacts and contributes a lot of emissions. My school and community didn't have any way I could participate in improving our environmental impact so I decided to create an opportunity for myself and others. I am the founder and president of my high school's ECO Club and am currently working on multiple projects to make my school and community more sustainable and eco-friendly. I will also be attending the Teen ECO summit hosted by the Columbus Zoo in November where I will learn from well-known conservationists and experts from all over the world. The ECO club is now working to implement some small and major changes in our community. We are advocating across the school district for plastic-free lunchrooms (replacing with recyclable and compostable items instead), food composting in the cafeteria and kitchen, adding more recycling bins throughout the school and school property, and applying for a grant to purchase solar panels for the schools perfectly flat roofs. Purchasing solar panels will reduce the amount of unsustainable power and will save the school district a lot of money over many years to come.

I became curious about where food came from and I found out about the unsustainability of the agriculture industry and animal cruelty. I became a vegetarian and I learned that being a vegetarian could not only save the lives of animals but also the planet. I've seen how interconnected the agriculture industry, our health, and the planet's health are. I advocate for changes in the agriculture industry so that our earth can still grow food for future generations. Did you know that by some estimates the soil has only 60 years before it will not be fertile? The animal agriculture industry has significant negative impacts and contributes a lot of emissions. My school and community didn't have any way I could participate in improving our environmental impact so I decided to create an opportunity for myself and others. I am the founder and president of my high school's ECO Club and am currently working on multiple projects to make my school and community more sustainable and eco-friendly. I will also be attending the Teen ECO summit hosted by the Columbus Zoo in November where I will learn from well-known conservationists and experts from all over the world. The ECO club is now working to implement some small and major changes in our community. We are advocating across the school district for plastic-free lunchrooms (replacing with recyclable and compostable items instead), food composting in the cafeteria and kitchen, adding more recycling bins throughout the school and school property, and applying for a grant to purchase solar panels for the schools perfectly flat roofs. Purchasing solar panels will reduce the amount of unsustainable power and will save the school district a lot of money over many years to come.

I learned that a lot of my friends didn’t even know that I composed music and that surprised me. Music is such a vital part of who I am and when I realized that people didn’t know that side of me, I wondered who they saw me as. I had to overcome the fear of rejection and not being good enough which were holding me back. Music had always been an excessively private part of my life. Music is how I communicate. Sometimes I forget words and I can play piano or hum a tune and I feel like I’m able to say something clearly. I can convey different emotions and ideas by changing the tempo or the key or lyrics. I wasn’t taught music composition, since I was little I’ve had this inexplicable ability to feel the music communicating. It pierces into me and fills me up. On the days when I don’t have time to play piano or sing the songs I’ve written, I feel empty and numb. I question the time when my friends didn’t know me. I question who they thought I was without music and I wonder who they see me as now. I could care less now about what they think of my music. The only thing that matters is when I sit down at the piano and feel the music flowing through my body. I used to be so scared to share this part of me, but I was hiding a part of me that more important than what anyone else could say or do in opposition. So now when people ask for an interesting fact about myself, I say “I write music”, because I do. And I think that’s pretty darn cool.

I never wanted to rely on anyone, I thought that was independence, so I pushed people away. I would say “I’m fine” even though I wasn’t because I didn’t want to burden them with my feelings or need them to make me feel okay again. But I’ve learned that I was wrong. Independence isn’t about being alone and it isn’t about not needing any help. Independence is being confident enough in yourself and your abilities to not need to derive your worth from others or what they can do for you. I don’t think anyone is self-sufficient these days. In our consumerist culture, we just consume even without understanding where things come from. Most people don’t grow their own food or live off the land. There are always things we need from other people. So I don’t think anyone can be independent in regards to doing everything by themselves. Do-It-Yourself (DIY) projects started to be popular among people who wanted to not rely on others for projects and home improvements. My dad always has me help him when we do home-handy-projects, but we do this together. Life isn’t mean to be lived alone. Life is meant to be lived with others. I’ve come to the realization that I can still live with my family or want to do projects with my dad and still be independent. Sure, if I moved out, I would need help with lots of projects and I would have a lot to learn, but I feel confident that I could figure it out. Independence isn’t reliant on you only relying on yourself, it just means that you can rely on yourself most of the time if you needed to.

My favorite piece of art is Vincent Van Gogh's "Cafe Terrace at Night" (although it has gone by several names over the years. It depicts an illuminated cafe terrace under the light of a starry sky. I am so in awe of this painting because allows me to view that night through his eyes. There are also lots of things hidden in the painting and possible allusions. This painting hangs on the wall in my family's house and I would just stand there and stare at it sometimes, bewitched by its beauty. The painting is filled with a sharp contrast between warmth and cold. It evokes the liveliness that exists at night and convinces me that Van Gogh was correct when he said "I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day." I've always been more of a night owl than an early bird. My inclination to stay up later is fueled by my fascination with the darkness, and how the different versions of the dark each make you feel a little differently. For example, shadows can be breathtaking as they dance across the walls of your bedroom or they can be terrifying as they are commonly perceived by children. When the atmosphere is clear enough, the stars light up the night just enough that you can tell the sky is still a dark rich blue rather than pitch black. To me, the street lights illuminating a road against the dark sky is one of the most alluring sights. It is mysterious and grabs your attention, but it is also warm and comforting. The lights in Van Gogh's painting share this allure. It explains the fascination with the night that which by words seems too difficult to comprehend.

Carpe Diem! Seize the day! These words were exclaimed by my 8th-grade guidance counselor every time that I saw her. She was insistent that seizing the day was the single thing that would not only get people through life but help them to enjoy it. I realized that she was right when I went on my self-exploration journey. I learned that if you don’t try something new and seize every opportunity that you will regret it. She also said that too: no regrets. I learned that I’d rather regret doing something for making a fool of myself than regret passing up that opportunity. This mindset helps me remain positive. Even on sad, stressful, overwhelming, or draining days remembering to seize these opportunities and these moments helps me stay cheerful. Remembering that every moment is fleeting and that I am unwilling to let these opportunities pass me is what keeps me going. I didn’t realize that words yelled enthusiastically by an 8th-grade guidance counselor would ring so true to my daily life years later but when I’m feeling unmotivated I need only think back to her impassioned chants and I feel more self-assured. Seizing the day and living without regrets keeps me optimistic because it encourages me to not focus so much on the bad, but rather on the opportunities that I have before me and the memories that are just waiting to be made.