Anticipation, foreshadowing, and action packed fighting sequences are some of the main aspects of anime that are the most appealing to me. From Naruto, to My Hero Academia, and my personal favorite Avatar the Last Airbender; anime has encompassed a large part of my life and given me life lessons that I take with me each day. I was only 7 years old when the first season of Avatar was released. I have watched the entire series about 4 times, and can recite the words to many episodes. The thing that makes Avatar endlessly captivating for me is the use of natural elements to engage in combat, the moral dilemmas that each character is confronted with, and the humor. To shed light on the use of natural elements in Avatar, the title sequence starts with a girl named Katara narrating an ongoing war and how peace was disrupted with the loss of the avatar. She says, “Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he vanished.” During the intro, masters of each element demonstrate a different form of martial arts, effectively moving earth, water, fire, and air. Avatar is so iconic in my generation that anyone who is 26 or older can recite the title sequence without any fault. In the series, the Fire Nation is a group of people that are trying to be the ruling class over the rest of the continent, much like Nazi Germany in WWII. Throughout the series, there are similarities between Nazi Germany and the Fire Nation, such as massive prisons for certain classes of people that are required to work. With the parallel between war in Europe and the war in Avatar, there is a representation of the sheer devastation of families and the systematic destruction of an entire culture. Furthermore, characters are presented with moral conflicts in each episode throughout the series. In the one of the early episodes, the Avatar is trying to learn fire bending from a master, but he is reckless and ends up burning his traveling companion Katara. The Avatar then promises to never fire bend again, but he has to learn fire bending to be a master of all the elements. Katara finds out she has healing abilities with her water bending during the episode and convinces the Avatar to continue his study of fire bending. Thus, the Avatar learns to be much more cautious, and more conscious of what is most important. The character that goes through the greatest transformation is Zuko, who is a banished prince of the fire nation. Furthermore, Zuko tries to capture the Avatar in the early episodes in a quest to regain his honor. Although, as the series progresses, Zuko fights a war within himself to find what is truly right vs. what is wrong. By the last season, Zuko ends up fighting with the Avatar against his own father because it is the correct thing to do. In conclusion, many anime series are full of moral dilemmas that help represent a parallel between fact and fiction. Characters are thrown into tumultuous situations, and have to overcome what they are confronted with. Because of the ways that Avatar the last Airbender portrays the systematic destruction of an entire culture, and the devastation that follows, I find it endlessly captivating, and my favorite anime. Thank you for your time and consideration!

2023 has been a roller coaster of emotions, and changes for my girlfriend and I. We both changed our jobs to work together at a chiropractor clinic, then we made the decision to move from Washington state to Florida. I was accepted to chiropractic school, so we packed up our bags and made a road trip down to Arizona to stay with my parents until school time comes. The chiropractic clinic we worked at closed, due to the owners retiring, and moving to Arizona themselves. When I was 3 years old, I wanted to become an astronaut. Although, I thought that getting into space would be far to challenging, so I decided to try to become a veterinarian. I received my bachelor degree in veterinary science in 2019, and proceeded to apply to all of the doctoral veterinary schools for 4 years. I spent 4,000 in application fees without an interview. Hence, the two songs in 1989 Taylor’s Version that represent my year the best are “Bad Blood,” and “Wildest Dreams.” In addition to moving across the country, I am bringing my girlfriend Megan with me to Florida, and it is her first time moving out of the state of Washington. I have been dating her for almost three years now, and as we are moving to a new place, we will need to rely on each other much more than before. Neither of us has a support base of friends or family where we are going. Thus, we will have to support one another where our friends/family used to be the stress relief. Just as in “Wildest Dreams,” I told my girlfriend “Let’s get out of this town, drive out of the city, away from the crowds.” Although Taylor adds phrases such as “See me in hindsight," “Say you’ll remember me, ” and “I bet these memories, follow you around,” to portray that she is being left behind, I am not leaving Megan behind. Instead of leaving the girl behind, I am leaving behind my friends, my town, and a part of my life that I have lived for many years. Therefore, the same phrases that Taylor uses to attribute being left behind, I attribute to leaving behind Pullman, Washington. In contrast, I have seen the difference between a chiropractor’s workload vs. a veterinarian’s, and a veterinarian has much more responsibility. Chiropractors often get paid more than veterinarians, and usually need not work nearly as much. Furthermore, chiropractors don’t have to do surgeries, and it is much easier to get into chiropractic school than it is into veterinary school. So, my year relates heavily to “Bad Blood,” because I devoted more than a decade to the veterinary profession, and not getting an interview feels like a spit in the face. From the perspective of the veterinary schools, it is to my understanding that 60 people are accepted per school per year on average, but there are about 5000 applicants competing for those same 60 seats. To be in the running for those 60 seats, an applicant must be in the top 1.2% of GPA, experience, and volunteer work. So, as Taylor Swift says, “We used to be mad love, but baby now we’ve got bad blood.” In conclusion, the two songs “Wildest Dreams,” and “Bad Blood,” relate the most to my year of 2023. Changing career paths due to “Bad Blood,” and leaving behind a part of my life that I will always cherish like in “Wildest Dreams,” has brought me closure. Thank you for your time and consideration!

I am no stranger to anxiety, fear, guilt, and the emotions that accompany a crushing weight. There are many rituals and tools that I have implemented for myself, to bring clarity. A few rituals that help me are stretching in the morning when I wake up, and in the evening before bed; furthermore I write about anything that has been popping into my mind to put my thoughts onto paper. Through my writing, I am able to come to conclusions. Therefore when I feel a certain way about a situation, I am immediately able to conclude without having to process through my emotions consistently. Just like everyone else, I have struggles with family, friends, and my aspirations. In my family, I have a half-brother named Chris, and a full brother named Jake. Jake was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), while Chris was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and suicidal tendencies. Aside from family, I have many friends who have attempted suicide, or through extreme depression. The one thing that I have had the most success with in helping myself and those around me, is to be honest about the struggles that I am going through and the solutions that have helped me work through my complications. My career goal is to become a naturopathic physician and a chiropractor, so that I may help relieve the suffering that people withstand on a daily basis. Within healthcare specifically, mental health is a persistent battle for patients who are dealing with hardships, and for the doctor who works long hours treating patients. I have had a strong motivation to help others since I was young, because I have been through extreme pain. When I was 6 years old, I became ill with an intestinal disease that doctors could not understand. I would have an extreme cramping sensation in my abdomen that would last for hours at a time. Imagine laughing so hard that it hurts, and do this for 2 weeks straight. I wasn’t able to hold down a sip of water, let alone any food. The result was losing ten percent of my body weight. Halfway through my illness, I just wanted to end the pain, and would be crying for my parents to just kill me. After going to the hospital to get hydrated through a needle in my arm each night for weeks, I finally recovered from my unknown illness. The main thing that helped me work through my disease was talking to those around me, whether it was a doctor, nurse, or family member. Having compassion for others is a trait that I have always had, but after going through the amount of physical and emotional trauma that I experienced at the tender age of 6, I truly understand the weight people carry with them. So, when a friend tells me that they don’t understand the point of living anymore, I sit them down and let them know that I am listening. I have sat for many hours talking to people that I barely knew, paying great heed to what they are going through. Moreover, every time someone asks for help, I show them my humanity by opening my heart, and letting them know that I am only a phone call away. In Conclusion, it has been my experience that having a support group to talk to is the single most important thing in keeping my own mental state healthy, and the one thing that has the greatest impact on those that are struggling with mental illness around me. Thank you for your consideration!

Super Smash Bros. Melee is the most iconic cooperative Nintendo game. I and my two older brothers would play Super Smash Bros. Melee on road trips in the RV, on holidays, and anytime we would have friends to fight in head-to-head combat! It was not long before I had a specific character that encompassed everything that I wanted in a fighter. Falco was my character of choice because he had a mighty roundhouse kick. Being fast and strong made Falco the most versatile character. As the years passed, Super Smash Bros. Brawl came out with new maps, and the choice of many new characters. The Wii brought a new level of game play to Super Smash Bros. With a remote in one hand and a nun chuck in the other, playing Brawl required a new form of dexterity and timing to exercise the same moves that had been imprinted in our minds from years of Melee. In addition to new controls, Brawl introduced a glowing ball that would imbue the character that hit it with the power to use a super smash! Finally, the switch was released to the public, and along with it came Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The most memorable fight that I have had in Super Smash Bros was against my older brother Jake. We were playing Brawl, and had been dueling between Ike and Lucario for months. Our skills were honed, and we had been using our characters against one another enough to know what moves were going to be anticipated by one another. We both knew how to use the dodge well, and use the bubble shield for an extra advantage. There is a move when a player presses the B button and moves the joystick downward, which makes the character Perry when hit as long as it is timed perfectly. Only certain characters have the Perry move, and both Lucario and Ike had this option, making them perfect opponents. We both started off with a 10 life stock, and all the items on, including the super smash ball. We dueled it out until we each had a single life left. It was taking us about 4 moves to land a single hit on one another. Ike was at 120% and Lucario was at 150% when a smash ball came out. At this point, if one of us went after the smash ball we would be sacrificing a single move, and risking being hit by the other player, effectively finishing the game. A poke ball appeared, and I immediately picked it up. My brother who was playing as Lucario, moved like lightning, going with the safer bet trying to land a hit me, rather than going after the super smash ball. When he moved, I threw the poke ball into the air and dodged under his attack. The poke ball struck the Super smash ball, and it exploded, imbuing me with a SUPER SMASH!!! Noticing this happen, Lucario dodged the falling poke ball by jumping into the air toward me. I jumped toward him and BAM! Hit him with my final smash, sending him flying across the screen, and winning the game. It was a once in a lifetime battle that I will cherish forever. Thank you for your time and consideration!

Feeling fatigued, and drinking an abnormally large amount of water, I was taking a quiz in statistics class. When I got out, it was about one hundred and two degrees outside, but all I had to do was reach the bus to take me home. I made it a mile and a half away from the bus stop, when my fatigue became debilitating. I called my dad to tell him I was going to the emergency room; just in case he did not hear from me, he could call for help. I slowly walked to the campus clinic, trying my best to breathe and work through the physical exertion. Once I made it to the clinic, I got my spot in line, then sat down and started to meditate. After a few minutes, my fatigue was no longer debilitating, but I was still weak. I explained to the doctor that I had been slowly becoming increasingly fatigued around noon every day for the last 4 months, and that this day was the breaking point. I pointed out to the doctor that I believed that I had a disease called leptospirosis, which is an animal to human transmitted bacterial spirochete that attacks the kidneys and the heart. Leptospirosis is so rare, that even the doctor had to research what I was talking about, and due to my symptoms, the best course of action was to immediately put me on antibiotics. Within 2 weeks I was back to normal energy levels, and I was no longer drinking nearly as much water. In hindsight, I was working at my family’s farm a few months before I started getting any symptoms. While at the farm, I was working on the brakes of a car and slipped off of a ratchet, effectively lacerating my hand on a dust plate behind the rotor. The next morning, my mom wakes me up around 3am, alerting me that the neighbor’s German shepherds had gotten out of their yard, and tried to kill our goats in their pen. I had been in the veterinary field for about 8 years at the time of the attack, and my first instinct was to assess the damage caused to the goats. I started to shave damaged tissue to see the condition of one of the goats, when my dad pointed out to me that I did not have on any gloves, and I was soaked in blood. Unfortunately, two of the goats were beyond any treatment. Furthermore, the cut that I had received from working on care breaks had contact with the goats blood, where the doctor and I believe the infection was transmitted. In extreme cases, the bacteria can make a film on the valves of the heart, causing decreased blood flow, and in certain circumstances, act like a blood clot which can cause embolisms, and even stroke. Despite having a debilitating bacterial infection that drained my energy levels for months, I was able to complete my junior year with a B+ average, while taking 17+ credit units per semester. Additionally, I have no long-term side effects from the infection as of right now, but I may have a decreased kidney function in the future, and I have a much greater respect for those living with heart conditions every day. Thank you for your time and consideration!

Advancement is inevitable when you set your mind toward a goal. My field of study is chiropractic, and naturopathic medicine. Today, diseases and conditions, like looming clouds of cancer and arthritis, cast a shadow of a dismal prognosis over many lives. Although, new research and technology are coming out on a daily basis. I have studied under a chiropractor for 2 years, and he is truly a pioneer in cervical traction; however taking full spine radiographs, and giving patients exercises, my mentor has demonstrated effective ways to slow the aging process of the spine. I personally have had whiplash, which causes damage to ligaments in the spine, resulting in an improper curvature of the neck. With an improper curve in the neck, there is an increased chance of bulging discs, and decreased disk space. Through noninvasive exercises, I was able to correct the damage to my neck, and have slowed the aging process of my spine. In the past, cervical traction has not been as advanced as it is today, and many chiropractic physicians still do not implement it for their patients. The way that I am going to turn science fiction into science fact in my career field is by implementing cervical traction, while at the same time employing naturopathic nutrition to slow the progression of age related diseases. In addition to supplementing the diet of patients, and giving them exercises to improve their preventative care, I will give my patients a variety of therapeutic options for treatment. My goal is to work in a clinic that not only provides chiropractic care, but also has acupuncturists, orthopedic surgeons, and neurologists. When a patient comes to my clinic seeking help, I want them to have everything they might need at their disposal. Rather than going to 4 different clinics, I want patients to be able to walk down a hallway to get x-rays taken or their blood drawn. The future of medicine is to bring the world of western medicine, and combine it with natural remedies, to effectively give each patient the greatest number of treatment options possible. Furthermore, new technologies like K-laser are being brought to modern medicine. I have been certified to use the K-laser, in which helps stimulate the body’s healing processes. For example, using the K-laser for 8 minutes on someone with a swollen knee will bring the swelling down by up to 60%. The laser therapy helps improve circulation, the amount of energy that cells use known as ATP, increases the amount of very strong antioxidants, and improves nerve conduction. There is so much that goes into new technologies like the K-laser, but it takes time for new technologies to become available to the public due to the initial cost, and the ability of clinics to implement the technology in their practice. It has been 20+ years since laser therapy has been added to the medical community, and now it is being used for treatment in animals. Bringing new technologies, and implementing age old remedies will help bring my profession into a new frontier. Turning science fiction into science fact through cervical traction, naturopathic nutrition, laser therapy, and bringing many medicinal disciplines to individual patients is my goal. Thank you, from my future patients, and myself for your time and consideration!

Have you ever seen a person suffer? An animal? Disease, trauma, and the environment can lead to suffering. My father’s father passed away from bladder cancer at the age of 72; His passing was after he had already beaten colon cancer a few years prior. What's more, my father’s mother lost her battle with COPD long before I was born due to smoking tobacco. Addiction and suffering has impacted my family’s life expectancy, and directly impacted the way I view certain substances and conditions. Moreover, my family’s struggle with cancer has been a driving factor in my life to seek a better understanding of biological systems, so that those who are afflicted by difficult conditions can be helped to remedy their ailments. For the past 20 years of my life, I have strived to be a veterinary orthopedic surgeon, but the competition was too much for my current position. I dedicated 4 years after receiving my bachelor’s degree in veterinary science, to applying to become a veterinarian, but I unfortunately was not given an interview. Thus, I decided that I wasn’t going to waste my potential any longer. I quit my job at the veterinary clinic I was at, and Carnahan Chiropractic hired me on as a chiropractic assistant immediately after! My interest in the medical field has never changed. Although, I have found that I like preventative medicine the most. Patients are given the tools they need to make sure that they can keep their daily lives sustainable. Conversely, surgery is required in certain cases like cancer, when prevention can’t make enough of a difference. Surgery can come with detrimental effects, and for that reason, I will do my best to give as many people alternative treatment options as possible; Only relying on surgery as a last resort. BJ Palmer, also known as the father of chiropractic once said, “The preservation of health is easier than the cure for disease.” My ideals align with BJ Palmer, and they have led me to pursue a career in chiropractic and naturopathic medicine. Due to my pursuit, I received acceptance to the National University of Health Sciences chiropractic/naturopathic dual program. From the day I started working in the chiropractic field, I realized how much of a stigma there is to chiropractic care; I also realized that we did much more than the normal chiropractor by taking full spine radiographs. The number of patients that have come into our clinic due to a symptom that could not be remedied by traditional Western medicine is numerous. What truly astonishes me is that many patients had underlying physiologic pathologies that we found by taking full spine radiographs. Some patients even had radiographs taken by their general practitioner which showed pathologies their physician missed. On the other hand, some pathologies like osteosarcoma a type of bone cancer were missed, because the patient’s general practitioner did not take full spine radiographs. Furthermore, we have found abdominal aortic aneurysms that could burst and kill the patient, as well as breaks in bones that could not be observed unless 3 views of the same bone were taken. With the information patients received after coming to see us, patients were able to manage and sometimes completely resolve their underlying conditions. In conclusion, due to the prevalence of cancer in my family, and the experiences in my life, I have chosen to pursue a higher education in naturopathic medicine and chiropractic care. Thank you for your time and consideration!

Have you ever seen a person suffer? An animal? Disease, trauma, and the environment can lead to suffering. I was born into a Christian Baptist family that has always been quite small. My father’s father passed away from bladder cancer at the age of 72; His passing was after he had already beaten colon cancer a few years prior. What's more, my father’s mother lost her battle with COPD long before I was born due to smoking tobacco. On the other side of my family, my mother’s father passed from alcoholism compromising his gastrointestinal system. As you can see, addiction and suffering impacted my family’s life expectancy and directly impacted the way I view certain substances and conditions. Moreover, suffering and addiction have been driving factors in my life to seek a better understanding of biological systems in our universe so that those who are afflicted by difficult conditions can be helped to remedy their ailments. For the past 20 years of my life, I have strived to be a veterinary orthopedic surgeon, but due to the pandemic raising the number of applicants from 2000 to 5000 on average per school and there being around 60 students accepted to each school per year, the competition was too much for my current position. I dedicated 4 years after receiving my bachelor’s degree in veterinary science to applying to become a veterinarian. Along with applying to all of the schools in the western half of the United States, I spent $4000 in application fees and still did not receive an interview. Each year, I worked on different aspects of my application from more schooling, increased occupational experience at veterinary clinics, and volunteer work. Thus, I decided that I wasn’t going to waste my potential any longer on getting into veterinary school. So, I quit my job at the veterinary clinic I was at and Carnahan Chiropractic hired me on as a chiropractic assistant immediately after! My interest in the medical field has never changed, but my field of study has over the years. I have found that I like preventative medicine the most because the patient then has the tools they need to make sure they can keep their daily life sustainable. Conversely, surgery and other much more invasive treatments are required in certain cases when prevention can’t make enough of a difference. Surgery can come with detrimental effects, and for that reason, I will do my best to give as many people alternative treatment options and only rely on surgery as a last resort. BJ Palmer also known as the father of chiropractic once said, “The preservation of health is easier than the cure for disease.” My ideals align with BJ Palmer and they have led me to pursue a career in chiropractic and naturopathic medicine. Due to my pursuit, I received acceptance to the National University of Health Sciences chiropractic program. From the day I started working in the chiropractic field, I realized how much of a stigma there is to chiropractic care; I also realized that we did much more than the normal chiropractor by taking full spine radiographs. We also took a much more scientific approach than just palpating each patient. The number of patients that have come into our clinic due to a symptom that could not be remedied by traditional Western medicine is numerous, but what is truly astounding to me is that many of them had underlying physiologic pathologies that we found by taking radiographs in which the patient’s general practitioners either missed because they did not take enough x-rays, or they simply did not notice the problem on the radiographs they took themselves. For example, we have found abdominal aortic aneurysms that could burst and kill the patient, as well as breaks in bones that could not be observed from the views their general practitioner originally took. With the information they received after coming to see us, these patients were able to manage and sometimes completely resolve their underlying conditions. Not to disregard the care that normal Western medicine does, because it does help many people, but to highlight the importance of chiropractic care in patients' treatment. In conclusion, the people in my family and the experiences in my life have influenced me to pursue higher education, specifically toward the study of biological systems in our universe so that those who are afflicted by difficult conditions can be helped to remedy their ailments. I have seen first-hand how diet, mental illness, and ignorance can lead to suffering. Because of these facts, I have dedicated my life and my career to helping those being affected physically and psychologically through chiropractic and naturopathic remedies. I would be extremely grateful if you would be kind enough to invest in my journey from understanding the microscopic to the macroscopic in the pursuit of helping others! Thank you for your time and consideration.