The lyric from Olivia Rodrigo's "GUTS" that hits me straight in the gut, reflecting my teenage experience, goes like this: "Every night, I wake up from this one recurring dream where I'm driving through the city and the brakes go out on me. I can't stop at the red light, I can't swerve off the road. I read somewhere it's 'cause my life feels so out of control." After hearing Olivia live in NYC Madison Square on April 5, I have several videos of me releasing all of my anger and frustration out in the open and I recognized that this song accomplishes that for me. During my adolescence, life feels like a rollercoaster ride of self-discovery and confusion. This lyric perfectly captures that whirlwind of emotions, where everything seems to be spinning out of control. The imagery of driving through the city with brakes failing mirrors the overwhelming sense of helplessness and confusion that often accompanies teenage years. As a teenager, I constantly felt like I was navigating through a maze with no clear path forward, constantly encountering obstacles that seemed insurmountable. The feeling of being unable to stop at a red light or swerve off the road reflects the pressure to keep moving forward despite feeling overwhelmed and unsure of where I was headed. The recurring nature of the dream emphasizes the persistence of these struggles, haunting me even in moments of vulnerability. It serves as a constant reminder of the challenges I faced during adolescence and the internal battles I waged to find my footing in a world that felt increasingly chaotic. Furthermore, the lyric highlights the pressure to appear in control even when everything feels like it's falling apart. During adolescence, there's an expectation to have it all figured out, to know where you're headed and how to get there. But the reality is far messier, with uncertainty, self-doubt, and the weight of expectations weighing heavily on my shoulders. For me, this lyric resonates on a deeply personal level. Like Olivia, I too experienced recurring dreams where I was driving but couldn't stop, mirroring the feelings of inadequacy and lack of control that characterized my teenage years. Whether it was academic pressure, social anxiety, or simply the fear of the unknown, there were times when I felt like I was careening through life without a brake pedal in sight. But amidst the chaos and uncertainty, music became my lifeline. Olivia Rodrigo's "GUTS" album, in particular, provided me with a sense of solace and understanding, a soundtrack to accompany me through the highs and lows of adolescence. Through lyrics like these, I found validation for my experiences and the courage to confront my fears head-on. Olivia Rodrigo's "GUTS" lyric in "making the bed" captures the essence of adolescence by portraying the struggles of feeling out of control and overwhelmed by life's uncertainties. It speaks to the universal experience of navigating the turbulent waters of adolescence, where the journey is fraught with challenges but opportunities for growth and self-discovery. Through music and shared experiences, we find solace and strength to face whatever lies ahead, knowing that we aren't alone in our struggles.

My experience with mental health influenced my beliefs, relationships, and career aspirations, and every aspect of my life. My mental health issues started at a very young age, the feeling of being alone by yourself even with hundreds of people who are right beside you cheering you on and loving you. The feeling of boredom with a million things and opportunities to accomplish, yet the feeling is too overbearing. I let my issues dictate a lot about myself, but for the worse but the better; I turned all that fear into my relationships. Changing my outlook and putting my feelings out on the table and learning to have that communication led me to help discover my passion for it. I took early college access classes, and I knew I wanted to help people any way I could, and I chose communication. I learned so much in these classes that it changed lots of my views and beliefs, even my mental health issues; instead of being embarrassed and disappointed in myself because of it. I just knew I could take it personally or I could take action and do something. Mental Health is an important topic that lots of teens struggle with and talking about it can be the best way to make an impact. I used to view myself as undeserving and I would self-sabotage, “well you shouldn't do this because your not good enough” or “why even try it’s too late” I used to think it was genetics brought down from each generation and there was no end but generational trauma can end and it starts with us. It starts with much more than getting help. It’s the factor of having something to look forward to. Looking forward to attending university and finding friends, attending social events like football or soccer games. It helps me remember my worth. I get to attend college like I've always wanted to since I was young, searching for my dream school even though I don’t know what I want to do. That’s okay. Mental Health has been one of the biggest influences on my Career aspirations. I struggle with anxiety and panic attacks and typically occur when I overthink about different topics like my future and where I will be in the next ten years? How will I afford school or therapy? Will I be okay? Even though I encounter these struggles with Mental Health, I strive my best to operate myself even when It can get bad; I have different methods to better myself like prating self care, reading, getting into a routine, pre-planning and working on my physical health, struggling with suicidal thought, depression take such a big toll on my life but I still continue to be the best possible version for myself not just for me but for others who struggle the same way and feel as through they can’t live the way they want. I want to prove that it’s okay to struggle with mental health by communicating, and having self-awareness can help. It’s a topic that has a lot of different factors involved but one step at a time is where change begins.

I feel passionately about the community service I'm involved in because every Saturday from 10:30 to 12; I volunteer to give out food to those in need behind Bruster’s real ice cream 801 Aquahart Road, Glen Burnie, MD 21061 and being able to visit a place such as California seeing three times the amount of people who come every Saturday lined up is horrific and their needs to be a change in housing and healthcare for the homeless. Food and shelter should be a necessity, not a luxury. Bottom line, health care is too expensive, its growth rate is unsustainable and we have to do something. This is where change starts. I continuously love to challenge myself with different activities, such as DECA. DECA stands for Distributive Education Clubs of America, It is something I'm very proud to be a part of, being involved in different opportunities such as this, enjoying these competitions that change my view on how I can benefit the community, one of my questions at the competition was "What is one way, this product (menstrual product) can be beneficiary to the community out their who simply cannot afford it" samples I replied. There is nothing wrong with giving to the community. It doesn't just benefit others' overall wellbeing but introduces them into a new product that they can depend on and recall their experiences with. I could recall one day while volunteering a multiple woman wanting menstrual products, yet there were only two boxes. Our solution was to give each woman 5-7 depends on their needs and if we met them. It worked and learning these new outlooks and different experiences being involved in the community helped me so much to learn about myself and what I wanted to be a part of, and I can proudly and confidently say all communities. When I grow up, I want to travel and spread the message of awareness by being a part of every community, no matter where I go or how homesick I become. Help can be of use everywhere, and that is where I want to involved. I'm very passionate about volunteering because in such a small amount of time, it's influenced me to become the best version of myself, not just for me, but for the benefit of my community. Waking up everyday happy to be somewhere with others making an impact will forever and always be my passion and I intend to continuously lend a helping hand to my community.

I practice bravery and live boldly every day, when I'm driving, doing schoolwork, volunteering, just overall sharing different experiences. One day when I was 16 a junior in high school and felt like I had done nothing, almost done with high school, but nothing changed since 8th grade. Maybe my looks, but I felt nothing was complete. I had no stories to share because I wasn't bold enough. Yet one day I realized that everything I did had to be like a big party and a do first thing later situation. Instead, I knew what I was proud of. I was proud that even the littlest bold things make a difference. Going to school every day, making plans with friends to go to the carnival and beach, expressing my true emotions and intentions in every single one of my relationships expressing when I'm in discomfort, appreciative and happy. I strive every day of my life to make a brave and bold move that will one day impact life for the better.