I plan on attending the University of North Dakota for psychology, with a minor in nutrition. When I visited UND’s campus earlier this year, I talked to the dietetics department about the pathway and possible careers. I’d always been interested in psychology and dietetics separately, but I didn’t realize how closely they’re related. I learned about nutritional psychologists and what they do, as well as eating disorder therapists. Both career paths look at how eating influences our psychological experiences – mood, emotions, behaviors, and motivations. I’ve always had a healthy relationship with food. I’ve never categorized foods into “good” and “bad” or avoided them for their calories and macronutrients. My mindset for the longest time has been “everything in moderation”. Food is fuel and has never been, nor should ever be, something to fear. In fact, I wasn’t fully aware of the severity of eating disorders until I witnessed one in my sister, Minda, who developed anorexia in high school. She became obsessed with eating healthy and working out, and it consumed her. Eventually, it was less about her physical well-being and more about control. When everything else in her life wasn’t going the way she wanted and she felt like it was out of her hands, she was able to use starvation and over-activity to make up for the areas in her life she couldn’t control. So much of her headspace was taken up by the calories she’d consumed and the calories she burned – and it became her only focus. She got the strength to ask for help and started going to therapy. I was young and didn’t fully understand what she was going through, but I could see her change. She started to learn how to cope with her stress in healthy ways, and she turned to religion. Through therapy and God, she started to recover. I could see the light come back into her eyes as the color came back to her face and her body restored to its normal weight. She was able to get back her healthy relationship with exercise and with food, and it was no longer something that was weighing her down but something that made her feel free. Food freedom and intuitive eating are things I believe are so important, and I want to make sure anyone that struggles with eating learns that it doesn’t have to be that way. For that reason, my goal is to become an eating disorder therapist. Recovery is possible, and I’ve seen it.

I plan on attending the University of North Dakota for psychology, with a minor in nutrition. When I visited UND’s campus earlier this year, I talked to the dietetics department about the pathway and possible careers. I’d always been interested in psychology and dietetics separately, but I didn’t realize how closely they’re related. I learned about nutritional psychologists and what they do, as well as eating disorder therapists. Both career paths look at how eating influences our psychological experiences – mood, emotions, behaviors, and motivations. I’ve always had a healthy relationship with food. I’ve never categorized foods into “good” and “bad” or avoided them for their calories and macronutrients. My mindset for the longest time has been “everything in moderation”. Food is fuel and has never been, nor should ever be, something to fear. In fact, I wasn’t fully aware of the severity of eating disorders until I witnessed one in my sister, Minda, who developed anorexia in high school. She became obsessed with eating healthy and working out, and it consumed her. Eventually, it was less about her physical well-being and more about control. When everything else in her life wasn’t going the way she wanted and she felt like it was out of her hands, she was able to use starvation and over-activity to make up for the areas in her life she couldn’t control. So much of her headspace was taken up by the calories she’d consumed and the calories she burned – and it became her only focus. She got the strength to ask for help and started going to therapy. I was young and didn’t fully understand what she was going through, but I could see her change. She started to learn how to cope with her stress in healthy ways, and she turned to religion. Through therapy and God, she started to recover. I could see the light come back into her eyes as the color came back to her face and her body restored to its normal weight. She was able to get back her healthy relationship with exercise and with food, and it was no longer something that was weighing her down but something that made her feel free. Food freedom and intuitive eating are things I believe are so important, and I want to make sure anyone that struggles with eating learns that it doesn’t have to be that way. For that reason, my goal is to become an eating disorder therapist. Recovery is possible, and I’ve seen it.

Over the New Year, my family and I traveled to Costa Rica. We’ve been to multiple places over the years, but one thing stood out to me about Costa Rica – its sustainable practices. I was taken aback by their efforts to use and reuse every part of their agricultural products. We attended tours, some of which were demonstrations of how they make these products. Part of the process of making Guaro, a liquor, includes fermenting sugar cane, which is either grown locally or imported from nearby states. To ferment the sugarcane, they use a machine that crushes the cane, producing a liquid that is then collected and delivered to a tank, where its made into ethanol. When they’re finished extracting the liquid, the sugarcane stalk that’s left is often used as a fuel source for sugar mills. In addition, Costa Rica is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, which is largely due to their efforts in preserving its nature. I noticed upon arrival that the land was mostly unpopulated, and when I did more research I learned about the practices Costa Rica’s citizens use to protect their ecosystems. According to Horizontes Nature Tours, 26% of the country’s territory is protected through national parks, wildlife refuges, and biological and private reserves. I also experienced firsthand how the country’s citizens make it their priority to protect wildlife. At a restaurant nearby our condo, the workers put up rope ladders between trees so that monkeys could walk safely across. When we asked the owner about the rope ladders, he informed us that they were to protect the monkeys from being hurt by the wires. We got to closely experience these beautiful animals (and their babies) in their natural habitat, where they also live comfortably among humans. I greatly appreciated how caring Costa Ricans were for their wildlife – they didn’t exploit their animals for the sake of tourism. Although my impact on the world may not be as great as Costa Rica’s – which also has 5% of the planet’s biodiversity when it only covers 0.03% of the Earth’s surface – I still can begin to make a difference. I was extremely inspired to do my part in preserving our planet when I returned home in January, so I did some research. Next year, if I were to walk a mile and a half around campus rather than driving, I would release 75% fewer greenhouse gases (Blue & Green Tomorrow 5). This goal is completely attainable because I'll be living on a college campus where everything is in walking distance. Since about 27% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions are due to transportation (US EPA 2), reducing my carbon footprint will not only help our environment, it will encourage my peers to practice sustainability as well.

As a member of the National Honors Society and a co-chair for my high school’s Philanthropy and Youth committee, giving back is very important to me. Philanthropy and Youth is a North Dakota-based club that focuses on giving back to our community. We receive our grant money from the Barry Foundation, a non-profit in Fargo, North Dakota. Every year, we decide on focus areas, create a mission statement, research non-profits in our area, and set up site visits to see if the organizations align with our chosen focus areas and mission statement. Along with that, we do an Inspire, Lead, Share project, where we display acts of kindness to the public. Next week, our committee is making baked goods to bring to Bethany nursing home. This project is a great way to connect with the other members of PaY - since we do the baking together - and to do a selfless good deed. Our PaY club mission statement last year was: “As a PaY family, we strive to inspire future generations of female leaders to show compassion and have an impact on our community.” Our main focus was women and mental health. Thanks to our funding from the Barry Foundation, we were lucky enough to donate to multiple non-profits, a few of which included the Jeremiah Program and Addie’s Angels. Our donation helped these non-profits continue their missions of impacting women in the community. Addie’s Angels provides therapy services during and after pregnancy as well as counseling for families impacted by child loss. The Jeremiah program used our donation to end the cycle of poverty for mothers and their children. Apart from my involvement in PaY, I like to volunteer on my own time. I give back by volunteering at the YWCA in Fargo with my mom. I chose the YWCA because I’m very passionate about empowering women and I wholeheartedly support their mission to be a place for women and children to go when they’re trying to escape violence, homelessness, and crisis. Lastly, my most memorable volunteer experience was the day of compassion at Independence Elementary in West Fargo, North Dakota. As a member of the National Honors Society, I was able to spend the day with 5th graders, doing activities that practiced generosity, selflessness, and kindness. Watching 10-year-olds learn that sometimes it's more important to put others before yourself was an amazing thing to witness since that kind of behavior is uncommon to see at that age. I’m so grateful to have been given the chance to participate in our Philanthropy and Youth committee. I'm honored to be able to make a difference for women and children in my community. Volunteering and community service are things I plan to continue in college and I plan to extend the amount of time I put towards them. I believe that being a good human that models compassion and philanthropy is the best way to inspire others to do the same.

As a member of the National Honors Society and a co-chair for my high school’s Philanthropy and Youth committee, giving back is very important to me. Our PaY club mission statement last year was: “As a PaY family, we strive to inspire future generations of female leaders to show compassion and have an impact on our community.” We focused mostly on women and mental health. Thanks to our funding from the Barry Foundation, we were lucky enough to donate to multiple non-profits, a few of which included the Jeremiah Program and Addie’s Angels. Our donation helped these non-profits continue their missions of impacting women in the community. Addie’s Angels provide therapy services during and after pregnancy as well as counseling for families impacted by child loss. The Jeremiah program used our donation to end the cycle of poverty for mothers and their children. Personally, I give back by volunteering at the YWCA in Fargo with my mom. I chose the YWCA because I’m very passionate about empowering women and I wholeheartedly support their mission to be a place for women and children to go when they’re trying to escape violence, homelessness, and crisis. I’m so grateful to have been given the chance to participate in our Philanthropy and Youth committee. I'm honored to be able to make a difference for women and children in my community. Volunteering and community service are things I plan to continue in college. In fact, I’d like to devote more of my time than I do now. I played volleyball for six years and student coached for my club, Volt Volleyball, for one season. Although unlike the volunteering I’ve done in the past, I’d like to be a volleyball coach for a local youth team. My coaches from sixth and seventh grade largely influenced my love for the sport, and I’d like to do the same for the next generation of young players.

I plan on attending the University of North Dakota for psychology, with a minor in nutrition. When I visited UND’s campus earlier this year, I talked to the dietetics department about the pathway and possible careers. I’ve always been interested in psychology and dietetics separately, but I didn’t realize how closely they’re related. I learned about nutritional psychologists and what they do, as well as eating disorder therapists. Both career paths look at how eating influences our psychological experiences – mood, emotions, behaviors, and motivations. In my own experience, how I eat greatly affects how my days goes. Without structured nutritious meals, I don’t have the energy it takes to get through my tasks. I find that if I don’t eat breakfast or only have coffee in the morning, I feel fidgety and unable to concentrate. Because of how my eating patterns impact my performance, as well as my mood, I make a conscious effort to keep track of what I put in my body. On the other hand, I know that caring a little too much about what you consume can bring you in the opposite direction. When so much of your headspace is taken up by calories and macros and the amount of energy you’ve burned so far – it becomes your whole personality. You lose the most important parts of yourself. Eating turns into the only thing you care about in your life, which causes you to distance yourself from your relationships. I witnessed this firsthand with my sister, Minda, who developed an eating disorder in high school. She became obsessed with eating healthy and working out, and it consumed her. It became less about her physical well-being and more about control. When everything else in her life wasn’t going the way she wanted and she felt like it was out of her hands, she was able to use starvation and over-activity to make up for the areas in her life she couldn’t control. For my sister, control was her main motivator, but body image also played a big role. She’d always strived for perfection in everything she did, so when she got into the world of fitness, she didn’t know how to stop. She was praised for having the “perfect” body, and based her self-worth off of those comments. Her need to maintain her image as the “healthy” girl with the nice body. In reality she wasn’t healthy at all, physically or mentally. She got the strength to ask for help, and started going to therapy. I was young and didn’t understand fully what she was going through, but I could see her change. She started to learn how to cope with her stress in healthy ways, and she turned to religion. Through therapy and through God, she started to recover. I could see the light come back into her eyes as the color came back to her face and her body restored to it’s normal weight. She was able to get back her healthy relationship with exercise and with food, and it was no longer something that was weighing her down but something that made her feel free. Food freedom and intuitive eating is something I think is so important, and I want to make sure anyone that struggles with eating learns that it doesn’t have to be that way. Recovery is possible, and I’ve seen it.

“Must Have Been the Wind” by Alec Benjamin has always been a song that hits me in the heart. The song was released in 2020 as a single for Alec’s sophomore album, These Two Windows. The album as a whole was a very deep, meaningful inside look into Alec’s struggle with depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The song “Must’ve Been the Wind” has a different message than most of the other songs on the album though, as it focuses on the hardships of someone other than himself. The overall story of the song is about a girl in the apartment below Alec Benjamin’s who he believes to be suffering from domestic abuse. He describes his internal conflict and fighting with himself about whether he should say something. An important lyric in the chorus (which also includes the title) reads, “She said, ‘I think your ears are playing tricks on you’, sweater zipped up to her chin. ‘Thanks for caring sir, that’s nice of you but I have to go back in. Wish I could tell you about the noise but I didn’t hear a thing.’ She said it must’ve been the wind.” The chorus shows Alec gaining his courage to ask the girl about the glass shattering and yelling he’d heard, but the woman wasn’t ready to admit she needed help. The message of the song is so important because when people are stuck in a cycle of physical abuse, they’re possibly in denial, too afraid to ask for help, or believe they’re undeserving of it. So many barriers - psychological, emotional, physical, financial, etc - keep women trapped and unable to escape their situation. “Must’ve Been the Wind” is a beautifully written song that tackles a difficult subject in the best way possible.