Although leadership has not always come easy to me, I believe that when it really matters, I am able to step up and take charge when others won't. What I believe separates me from these norms is the effort that I would put into them even at the point where many students believed that they did "just enough" or "passing" level of commitment and effort. When starting my first season in track and field, I was one of the somewhat faster sprinters on the team, making the coaches give me one of the leadership positions on the team. Being the captain of the girls 4x100m relay sounded like a simple job, however, being in charge of the equipment many times as well as making sure everyone knew their positions as a new team member was challenging. However, I think this experience helped me truly be able to dedicate myself in other situations where taking up leadership was necessary. Succeeding in these endeavors was always some of the most important things to me, especially when I knew they were going to affect someone else in some way shape, or form. I remember often in my AP classes, we were given group projects that often required me to work with people not dedicated to the class or their grades, despite what most would think. Those types of projects ,especially, when I needed to convey concept or a specific point, were the ones that had captured my attention the most. It was my top priority that my message was explained and shown in the exact way it needed to be interpreted in for the audience to understand. This mindset has carried over from middle, high school, and now for me, college. Although this new stage in life is very different and something to get used to over time, my goals remain the same. I'm currently a computer science major, and I plan to eventually make a career in software development after transferring from community college to a 4-year university and gain a bachelor's degree. If awarded this scholarship I plan to utilize it to not only further my education and grow the skills I need to succeed but also help me access the resources I need to grow and thrive in this field. With my little experience in taking coding classes, I was exposed to just a small part of what these skills would allow me to achieve if nurtured. I plan to use them as well as my creativity, to explore new ways to inform and educate our society about nuanced topics that would otherwise be ignored. We as people deserve to be informed about anything and everything going on in the world, and I believe that I will be able to help us achieve this. This creative spark that I have been caring for and growing since the first moment I touched a pencil, has now become a grand inferno of determination and motivation. This is what will allow me to reach the goals necessary to make these improvements on society.

Creative arts have always been an interest to me, even from the beginnings of my childhood. I know many people can still find some of their old drawings and crafts from when they were in elementary school. "When I Grow Up" projects, Mother and Father's Day gifts, Thanksgiving Turkeys, and many more that may have been required of them when they were young. What I believe separates me from these norms is the effort that I would put into them even at the point where many students believed that they did "just enough" or "passing" level of commitment and effort. Succeeding in these endeavors was always some of the most important things to me, especially when I knew they were going to someone else in some way shape, or form. I remember often in my 5th-grade class, we were given art projects that were supposed to convey a certain scene from a movie we had watched together in class and explain what it meant. Those types of projects especially, when I needed to convey or portray a specific point, were the ones that had captured my attention the most. It was my top priority that my message was explained and shown in the exact way it needed to be interpreted in for the audience to understand. This mindset has carried over from elementary school, middle and high school, and now for me, college. Although this new stage in life is very different and something to get used to over time, my goals remain the same. I'm currently a computer science major, and I plan to eventually make a career in software development. If awarded this scholarship I plan to utilize it to not only further my education and grow the skills I need to succeed but also help me access the resources I need to grow and thrive in this field. With my little experience in taking coding classes, I was exposed to just a small part of what these skills would allow me to achieve if nurtured. I plan to use them as well as my creativity, to explore new ways to inform and educate our society about nuanced topics that would otherwise be ignored. We as people deserve to be informed about anything and everything going on in the world, and I believe that I will be able to help us achieve this. This creative spark that I have been caring for and growing since the first moment I touched a pencil, has now become a grand inferno of determination and motivation. This is what will allow me to reach the goals necessary to make these improvements on society.

My junior year, the very first year I joined the wrestling team at my high school, was one of the hardest years I've ever experienced during my entire time in high school. I recently started taking much harder classes and was learning to manage my new schedule with the new coursework, which would only continue into my senior year, while also experiencing some personal mental health issues at the time. At around the peak of this mental health decline, I decided to join the wrestling team at my school because one of my close friends had recommended the sport to me. Initially, I wasn't aware of what the sport would entail, but I was still enthusiastic and excited to learn. As I progressed throughout the season, I began to learn and adjust to the new intensity of practice as well as experience the determination and drive many of the others had on my team. Although practices were difficult when I saw improvement during practice and at tournaments, I began to see why so many of my team members were so dedicated to the sport, and I began to follow. This sport became so many important things for me. It was an escape from my stressful school life, a place where I learned to grow and persevere, and in a way, it became my second family. This sport inspired so many amazing people that I was so lucky to meet, and these people have also helped me grow, improve, and shape the person I have become today. During practice, if I was ever tired, there was always someone to keep me going. No matter how suffocating the room may have felt, I always had the energy to keep going even if I didn't feel it. I've never felt a stronger overwhelming urge to keep going, to keep moving as if my life depended on it, than when I'm on the mat at a tournament, and I can faintly hear my coach screaming at me through my headgear. In my head, I felt like if I stopped moving or gave up, something terrible would have happened. In many ways, these experiences are what have allowed me to become the person that I am today. The feelings of suffocation that I felt in the practice room, were no different than the suffocation that I would feel from being overwhelmed during school. There were many times both during and after wrestling season when I would feel the crushing weight of all my responsibilities piled on top of one another, and it would feel as if my opponent was putting in all of their energy to keep me flat on the mat. However, instead of giving up and succumbing to the stress, I would push through and see it to the end. This wouldn't always give me the results I wanted. Similar to matches, I wouldn't win them all, and there were times when I felt like I was putting in everything I had and it still wasn't enough. However, all of those moments, both in and outside of wrestling, were moments for me to learn and grow from. After I graduate, I plan on continuing to wrestle in some way during college. Either competitively or in a club at San Joaquin Delta College, where I'll complete my GE classes and transfer to a 4-year university where I'll hopefully get to continue my wrestling career. I'm so grateful to this sport for allowing me to meet so many important people in my life, and I know I'll take these lessons that I've learned with me

If I could have everyone read one book, I would have them read "The Secret Life of Bees". I first was introduced to the book through a friend who gifted it to me for my birthday last year, and it was one of my favorite books that I've ever read to date. The book is centered around the main character, a girl named Lily, who searches for love and a sense of belonging throughout the story set in 1960s America while being opposed by not only her abusive father but also the social prejudices that the African American people around her have to face. Although Lily herself is white, the story itself gives beautiful and heart-wrenching descriptions of social injustices that many African American people have had to face in American society, and how these experiences have affected the community as a whole. I believe that almost anyone who reads this book will be able to relate to one or more of the characters in one way or another. Whether it's overcoming adversity, feeling empathy for the experiences of people in your community, finding your sense of self, or facing opposition, there is a character or experience for everyone to connect to. This book allows an audience to have an enlightening experience and take on a mental journey to question and discover characteristics within themselves they may not have known were there through the experiences of the characters. While also being exposed to many of the horrible experiences that many African American people were subjected to throughout American history in an educational and digestible format.

As a high school student, it's a common occurrence for many students to take up extracurricular activities while attending the school of choice. Whether it's for fun, a simple pastime, a step in the direction of college, or simply an enjoyable activity, that's often all they're thought of as. However, my experience was a bit different. Initially, I had a very basic reason, like many other highschool student, to begin participating in sports after school. My parents have a very busy work schedule and don't end their day until 5:30 pm at the earliest most days. So to avoid having to make the long mile-and-a-half trip home, my parents decided to put me into sports that were available at my high school. Their initial choice: Cross Country. Since my young and naive self was not aware that there were other options, I continued the sport, despite the many protests from my body throughout the entire season. Competing in a fall sport in California from August to November is no easy feat, with the weather in the early months reaching highs of close to or even meeting 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Participating in a sport like this felt similar to dragging a heavy bag uphill: I know where I'm going and how to get there, but progress is simply frustratingly slow. During my very first practice, I felt sick to my stomach, sore, and embarrassed. I was so behind compared to most of the other people on the team that I felt this sport may have not been the right choice for me. When I said this to one of my coaches on the second day of practice, he advised me to think it over and hopefully reconsider my decision to change sports. Despite knowing in my first Cross Country meet I was dead last. This is what started my journey to improvement. Even though I said out loud that I hated this sport, inside, I still hated it, however, I admired the people who competed in it. They all had a drive and motivation that I aspired to have, as well as the same level of skill. Although I was set at a disadvantage, I would remember my coach's conversation with me in practice. Over time, I would spend more time running and less time walking to contemplate my decision to join this sport. I was getting used to traveling the longer distances while being less tired. I was getting closer and closer to the goal I wanted to reach, I could begin to see some improvement with my skill level. Although it took some time, by the end of the season I had gone from dead last in my very first meet to placing 5th overall for league finals with my team. Competing in that sport and overcoming that challenge taught me many things that day. Firstly, I can complete any task or goal that I set my mind to do. There is no but, no whys, and no reason why I can't do something to work towards my goal unless my goal is the thing being prioritized. Secondly, comparing my progress to other people's, in general, is not good for motivation, and motivation and drive are what's needed. Oftentimes when comparing my progress to other's on the team, I would become discouraged and feel as if there's no point in my efforts. This is untrue, focusing on your efforts will reap much more in the long run. The challenge of being set back by so much experience on the team was one that truly allowed me to grow.