The first time I heard "Passenger" by Noah Kahan, I did not know who it was by or that it was one of my friend's favorites. When it was over, I asked if anyone knew its name. I first heard this song when I had a sense of control over my life. Everything seemed to be going right, whereas the song talks about how it feels to not be in control of your life - feeling like a passenger in your own life. A few weeks later, I heard about COVID. I was separated from my friends with little hope of seeing them soon. The song's message suddenly felt more real to me, it talked about what I was feeling, but it had also been given to me by the people I was missing. Kahan writes, "tell me it won't hurt" in his song, and that line always reminds me that it will always hurt to lose parts of your life. The song "Passenger" will always remind me of the time in my life when I had so much control, remind me of my friends, and keep me afloat when I feel like I have lost control of my life again.

I’ve loved math for as long as I’ve known it existed. In second grade, I got disappointed when my teacher didn’t have any extra math homework, as nobody had ever asked before. In third grade, I got in trouble every Monday for doing the full week’s worth of math problems when she handed them to us, instead of waiting patiently for each new day to start the next set. In sixth grade, I got up at 6:00 each morning so that I could be ready for the ride to my 7:00 math class at another school so that I could be in a math class that challenged me. Finally, in my sophomore year of high-school, I was in a unique math class with three other students. Our teacher came to class on Monday, Thursday, and Friday and the substitute stopped showing up a couple of weeks into the semester. Of the four students, I loved math the most, so Tuesday and Wednesday I would teach our math class. That was the year that I really understood why I loved math so much. When preparing for my lessons on Tuesday and Wednesday, I’d often come across new concepts, so twice a week I got to find problems and answers next to formulas I didn’t yet understand; I walked through these problems until I understood what each formula meant. Math is the only subject where the problem it would always come out with the same numbers regardless of the angle used to get there. Math gives simple answers to complex questions based on logical mutations which can themselves be justified. Mathematics isn’t a wholly pure science in the hands of people, but when an argument is logically valid, but the answer is incorrect, issue can be taken with the assumptions that made up the argument, without questioning the methods used to arrive at the conclusion. I love math because when solving a problem I follow a logical path, and no matter the path, the answer remains the same. Lastly, unlikely every other subject, there is always a final answer in math, and once you get there the problem is solved, and it is a comfort to know that you’ve done a problem to its fullest. Math is beautiful, and though it is not the only subject worth pursuing, it is and always has been the one I love the most.

Droughts and massive flooding, new diseases and parasites, starvation, and natural disasters - there is so much despair when talking about climate change, and while that despair is well-founded, there are also reasons for optimism. One major cause for celebration is that the United States passed the Inflation Reduction Act. The most impactful way to combat climate change is to have top polluters like the United States pass climate legislation that will decrease the amount of greenhouse gas that they contribute. Legislation on any level from international agreements that will hopefully be made this month at COP27 to communities changing regulations on building codes will always be more impactful than one person changing their habits. However, people also need to change what they do. Politicians need to know that climate change is an issue that people care about. There are many ways that people can do this including collectively changing their lifestyle to be more environmentally friendly, or directly telling their leaders through letters or emails. I have changed my lifestyle to help get this message across. I don’t eat red meat because it is generally more carbon-intensive to produce, and about half of my meals are vegan or vegetarian because plants are less carbon-intensive. I walk and carpool as much as I can to reduce the amount of vehicle emissions I cause. I don’t feed into fast fashion, as fast fashion is one of the fastest-growing carbon-intensive industries. I use my clothes until they wear out, and I buy most of my new clothes from thrift stores. Making little changes like these are great for decreasing your personal carbon footprint, but alone they are not enough to make a significant change. There are many ways to let your leaders know what you believe in, the least of which is voting, a process that is required if you want to have a say in how your life is run. In addition to voting, I have recently been sending physical letters and emails to my local leaders. I have written my city council and my county’s environmental committee, as well as several letters to Sharice Davids, one of my state representatives, and both of my senators. I also sent a couple of letters to Biden at the presidential level. Each letter was targeted to the unique power that each station has, and the personal views of each leader. I want my leaders to know where I stand on climate change so that they know that their constituents support climate movements. Social media is another powerful place to spread the word about climate change. I created an Instagram account to spread the word about climate change. There are so many facets that people can focus on from soil to plastic to climate justice to building codes and much more. I’ve learned and shared a lot about different aspects of climate change, and have tried to share all of these through social media. There are many ways to help change the world’s relationship with carbon, but the most effective are the changes made on national and international scales. However, these changes cannot be started without strong support from the individuals in the community, and I am working with my community to gather support for new green policies.

Unpacking my backpack alone in the woods, and pulling out my tent, I felt the first surges of panic I thought would only affect other people. I believed that I would have no problem camping alone in the woods with only my tent, sleeping bag, a hammock, snacks, plenty of water, notebook, and pen. I have been camping since I was a kid I have been camping, but being alone for the first time was surprisingly frightening, but once I had my tent set up, the tendrils of panic dissipated. For the next twenty-four hours, my task was to reflect on my growth in the last couple of months and write about anything I thought of. The rest of that day and the next, I did a lot of sitting and thinking, I saw a fox, many types of birds, and too many squirrels :). I love nature because of that trip as well as all of the camping I have done with my family and friends. Ever since I was little I've loved being in nature, and I try to spread that love by helping others find their own connection to nature. I am the president of a Venture Crew and was the SPL of a Scout Troop, and I always work to bring people into my troop and crew because of the immediate connection people gain with the outdoors. I've found that the more time a person spends in nature, the more they want to help protect it and make it better, so I think that bringing people in and showing them the best parts of the outdoors makes it that much easier to convince them to try to help save the nature around them.

It was cold enough to snow outside, but the inside was warm and smelled like the cinnamon tea my peers were so fond of drinking. Two friends sat nearby so absorbed in their work that they didn’t notice when my eyes teared up, not from the winter air, but with gratitude for them and our other peers. Before I met these people, I felt like I was in a rut. I had friends, but they were from elementary school. I was afraid that I wouldn’t know how to make friends in college, but within just a week of meeting these people, I made friends with all nineteen of the students that I was living with for that semester. My peers and I had discussions about sense of belonging and of self; our semester shared experiences of identity, anxiety, depression, and mental health, among so many other personal issues. These people and these moments made me understand how uplifting communities, schools, and relationships can be. Our days together were filled with moments like chasing Ted -our biology teacher - through the woods, barely keeping up, as he was teaching us about survival of the fittest - preparing a math lesson to teach our classmates about matrices - debating the meaning of a poem by Mary Oliver - or talking about the ethics of the health inspections for chicken farms. The collaborative relationship with our teachers made me stay engaged and enjoy learning, and I am so grateful for that. Though I was gone for only a short period of time, the relationships I formed will forever make an impact on my life. The understanding of friendship and community and the life lessons that I found there make me a stronger and happier person, and I will always be grateful for that.

Opening yet another card during the holidays, I wondered which forgotten relative had sent me this one. To my surprise, it wasn’t from a relative. Nor was it from a friend. It was a picture of Hootie the Owl, a bird that lives at the Lakeside Nature Center because he can't fend for himself. On the back of the card was a thank you from Lakeside. I've been volunteering with the Lakeside Nature Center for a few years. During my freshman year, I was in Junior Board. The program requires researching a non-profit: their mission, finances, and other key traits, then a competition for grants for organizations. I enjoyed learning about the animals and their mission to educate people about the environment. I learned about the animals that stay at the Lakeside Nature Center because they were imprinted on by humans and abandoned- unable to fend for themselves; as well as animals whose injuries prevent them from hunting for themselves. Though I didn’t win first, my experience working with them made me want to continue to help. The following year, I asked about Eagle projects I could build for them. On request, I designed and built two shelters for birds of prey for the Lakeside Nature Center, and after success with two of their turkey vultures, they used my designs to make more structures for more of the birds. And now? I've gone back again to the Lakeside Nature Center to see what projects they have, and I'm working on another. I love Lakeside, their mission, the people there, and the animals they help. I started community service because I knew it was good, but I’ve continued it because I love the organizations that I work with and because I see the good that my work has accomplished.

Opening yet another card during the holidays, I wondered which forgotten relative had sent me this one. To my surprise, it wasn’t from a relative. Nor was it from a friend. It was a picture of Hootie the Owl, a bird that lives at the Lakeside Nature Center because he can't fend for himself. On the back of the card was a thank you from Lakeside. I've been volunteering with the Lakeside Nature Center for a few years. During my freshman year, I was in Junior Board. The program requires researching a non-profit: their mission, finances, and other key traits, then a competition for grants for organizations. I enjoyed learning about the animals and their mission to educate people about the environment. I learned about the animals that stay at the Lakeside Nature Center because they were imprinted on by humans and abandoned- unable to fend for themselves; as well as animals whose injuries prevent them from hunting for themselves. Though I didn’t win first, my experience working with them made me want to continue to help. The following year, I asked about Eagle projects I could build for them. On request, I designed and built two shelters for birds of prey for the Lakeside Nature Center, and after success with two of their turkey vultures, they used my designs to make more structures for more of the birds. And now? I've gone back again to the Lakeside Nature Center to see what projects they have, and I'm working on another. I love Lakeside, their mission, the people there, and the animals they help. I started community service because I knew it was good, but I’ve continued it because I love the organizations that I work with and because I see the good that my work has accomplished.

Opening yet another card during the holidays, I wondered which forgotten relative had sent me this one. To my surprise, it wasn’t from a relative. Nor was it from a friend. It was a picture of Hootie the Owl, a bird that lives at the Lakeside Nature Center because he can't fend for himself. On the back of the card was a thank you from Lakeside. I've been volunteering with the Lakeside Nature Center for a few years. During my freshman year, I was in Junior Board. The program requires researching a non-profit: their mission, finances, and other key traits, then a competition for grants for organizations. I enjoyed learning about the animals and their mission to educate people about the environment. I learned about the animals that stay at the Lakeside Nature Center because they were imprinted on by humans and abandoned- unable to fend for themselves; as well as animals whose injuries prevent them from hunting for themselves. Through the program, I was able to give Lakeside a grant to help them further their mission, and I felt like I made an impact on them and those that they help. On request, I designed and built two shelters for birds of prey for the Lakeside Nature Center, and after success with two of their turkey vultures, they used my designs to make more structures for more of the birds. And now? I've gone back again to the Lakeside Nature Center to see what projects they have, and I'm working on another. I love Lakeside, their mission, the people there, and the animals they help. I feel like I get to make an impact when I am helping them, and by continuing to support their mission, I hope to further my positive impact on them, and the world.

Opening yet another card during the holidays, I wondered which forgotten relative had sent me this one. To my surprise, it wasn’t from a relative. Nor was it from a friend. It was a picture of Hootie the Owl, one of the birds that lives at the Lakeside Nature Center because he is unable to fend for himself. On the back of the card was a thank you note from Lakeside. I've been volunteering at the Lakeside Nature Center for a couple of years, but not in a traditional weekly volunteering position. During my freshman year, I participated in a program called Junior Board. The program required researching a non-profit: their mission, finances, and other key traits, then after a couple of months, we gave a presentation on the non-profit as part of a competition for grants for that organization. I enjoyed learning about their animals and their mission to teach people about the environment as well as their program to take care of injured animals until they can be released back into the wild. I also learned about the animals that stay at the Lakeside Nature Center because they were illegally raised and imprinted on by humans and abandoned when they got older - like Cody the Coyote; as well as animals whose injuries prevent them from ever hunting for themselves again. Sadly my group didn’t win first, but we earned a smaller grant to give to Lakeside, but my experience working with them and the animals made me want to work with them again. The following year I asked if there were any Eagle Projects I could build for them. They asked for hutches for their birds of prey. The hutch allows the raptors to have higher perches (rather than being on the ground like they were then) or have the chance to go inside of the hutch if they got afraid. I designed and built two hutches for the Lakeside Nature Center, and after success with two of their turkey vultures, they used my designs to make five more structures for more birds. And now? I’ve gone back to the Lakeside Nature Center once again to see what projects need to be done. I love Lakeside, their mission, the people there, and the animals they help. Community service is something that I started because I knew it was good, but it's something I’ve continued because I love the organizations that I work with and because I see the good that my work has accomplished. At the Lakeside Nature Center, I got to see the raptors on their ground-level perches before I build the hutches, but now every time I go they are happily sitting atop their hutch enjoying the view. And the last couple times I’ve gone, I’ve seen the other raptors each getting their own hutch, each jumping atop their new perch in hutches I didn’t build, but whose shape feels encouragingly familiar. Over the course of my time at Lakeside, I've probably volunteered between 40 and 80 hours, but I haven't kept track because of the non-traditional form of volunteering and because it is fun for me, and because I love Lakeside. Volunteering matters to me because I can see the impact of the lives I have changed. Even though in this case the lives weren’t human, I can see that I added a small amount of happiness to the world, and this time I was thanked for it. I know I won’t be directly thanked every time I donate my time, but seeing the impact my work has done is enough.

Opening yet another card during the holidays, I wondered which forgotten relative had sent me this one. To my surprise, it wasn’t from a relative. Nor was it from a friend. It was a picture of Hootie the Owl, a bird that lives at the Lakeside Nature Center because he can't fend for himself. On the back of the card was a thank you from Lakeside. I've been volunteering with the Lakeside Nature Center for a few years. During my freshman year, I was in Junior Board. The program requires researching a non-profit: their mission, finances, and other key traits, then a competition for grants for organizations. I enjoyed learning about the animals and their mission to educate people about the environment. I learned about the animals that stay at the Lakeside Nature Center because they were imprinted on by humans and abandoned- unable to fend for themselves; as well as animals whose injuries prevent them from hunting for themselves. Though I didn’t win first, my experience working with them made me want to continue to help. The following year, I asked about Eagle projects I could build for them. On request, I designed and built two shelters for birds of prey for the Lakeside Nature Center, and after success with two of their turkey vultures, they used my designs to make more structures for more of the birds. And now? I've gone back again to the Lakeside Nature Center to see what projects they have, and I'm working on another. I love Lakeside, their mission, the people there, and the animals they help. I started community service because I knew it was good, but I’ve continued it because I love the organizations that I work with and because I see the good that my work has accomplished.

Opening yet another card during the holidays, I wondered which forgotten relative had sent me this one. To my surprise, it wasn’t from a relative. Nor was it from a friend. It was a picture of Hootie the Owl, a bird that lives at the Lakeside Nature Center because he can't fend for himself. On the back of the card was a thank you from Lakeside. I've been volunteering with the Lakeside Nature Center for a few years. During my freshman year, I was in Junior Board. The program requires researching a non-profit: their mission, finances, and other key traits, then a competition for grants for organizations. I enjoyed learning about the animals and their mission to educate people about the environment. I learned about the animals that stay at the Lakeside Nature Center because they were imprinted on by humans and abandoned- unable to fend for themselves; as well as animals whose injuries prevent them from hunting for themselves. Though I didn’t win first, my experience working with them made me want to continue to help. The following year, I asked about Eagle projects I could build for them. On request, I designed and built two shelters for birds of prey for the Lakeside Nature Center, and after success with two of their turkey vultures, they used my designs to make more structures for more of the birds. And now? I've gone back again to the Lakeside Nature Center to see what projects they have, and I'm working on another. I love Lakeside, their mission, the people there, and the animals they help. I started community service because I knew it was good, but I’ve continued it because I love the organizations that I work with and because I see the good that my work has accomplished.

100 words is not much- here it goes! I am an Eagle Scout and president of a Venture Crew and ASL club. I participate in clubs like Discussion club, Latin club, Boy Scouts of America, NHS, and book club. Wait! I'm halfway done?! More Personal! I like bad jokes How do pirates know that they are pirates? They think, therefore they ARRRR! (One of my favorites) I try to be helpful My parents joke when I have less than two first aid kits. (Hey parents: I've never brought more than four on a trip) I love reading anything, and I squeal, cry, or laugh while reading good books. Mooorreee Timeeeeee!(;P)

This was my fourth backpacking trip and the longest day and mileage count. This was our shortest day, and we reached the campsite by noon. The rain that plagued us the first half of the trip had finally stopped, so our group selected three people to scout the trail and find a campsite to make the following day shorter. I was one of the three that volunteered. For two hours, we looked until we found a big and flat spot. We jogged back (summiting a peak both ways) and had a ten-minute break before our group set out again. Just as we got our tarps set up and started dinner the rains came. After fifteen minutes one of our forgotten cooking pots had an inch of rain inside. We quickly realized that water was pooling under our tarps, and we wouldn’t be sleeping dry that night. We were soaked, blistered, it was pouring rain and we had eight miles to walk the following day. So I proposed an idea: We pack up our things, and night hike to the end of the trail. After a debate focused on safety, we had a consensus that the night hike was the best plan. The pace was set at a near jog with full packs with wet tarps using the last of the sunlight, but as the light faded our pace didn’t slow. We took our first pause after two hours to look at the stars, the blood-red moon, and drink water. My blisters burned as we jogged on with our full packs, but with nowhere to stop I pushed through. Finally, we reached our campsite and I quickly fell asleep with fifteen new miles on my boots knowing tomorrow would be easy and that my friends and I would be okay.

Two years ago, I was sitting in a small lodge in North Carolina almost 900 miles away from my family. My teachers referred to the room I was in as The Den. It was cold enough to snow outside, but inside was warm from the wood stoves, and smelled like the cinnamon tea my peers were so fond of drinking. I smiled to myself as I thought of all the happy times that my friends and I shared. During my highschool career, I was accepted into the Outdoor Academy - a semester school where a small group of sophomores gathered from across the country for fifteen weeks of intensive study. Our school days would be filled with moments like chasing Ted -our biology teacher - through the woods, barely managing to keep up, as he was teaching us about niches and survival of the fittest - preparing a math lesson to teach our classmates multiplying matrices after we’d gotten an introduction from our teacher - sitting in the sun debating the meaning of a poem by Mary Oliver - or talking with our Environmental Science teacher about the ethics of the health inspections for chicken farms. With the collaborative relationship with my peers and our teachers, I got to be happy and have fun learning, and I’ve been able to keep that spark of joy when I learn a new concept back at my school. Though I was at the Outdoor Academy for only a short period of time, the people that I met and any time I spend with them will always make me happy.

Unpacking my backpack alone in the woods, pulling out my tent, I felt the first surges of panic I thought would only affect other people. I believed that I would have no problem camping alone in the woods with only my tent, sleeping bag, a hammock, snacks, plenty of water, notebook, and pen. I have been camping since I was a kid I have been camping, but being alone for the first time was surprisingly frightening, but once I had my tent sent up, the tendrils of panic dissipated. For the next twenty-four hours, my task was to reflect on my growth in the last couple of months and write about anything I thought of. The rest of that day and the next, I did a lot of sitting and thinking, I saw a fox, many types of birds, and too many squirrels :). I love nature because of that trip as well as all of the camping I have done with my family and friends. Camping has given me immense respect for the natural world, and a hope that I can do something to help it. Since that trip - I've built my Eagle Project around the outdoors, and whenever I go hiking on a trail I try to remember to bring a trash bag and gloves to do my small part in helping nature and the outdoors.

Walking back from the bathroom to my English class, I smiled - smelling my hands again - I knew I was going to have a great rest of my day. One of the English teachers at my school decided that a nicer handsoap would be a benefit to the bathroom and the school. She started buying Bath&Body Works soaps and putting a different scent at each of the four sinks in the bathroom. After a couple of weeks, she applied for funding from the PTA, and she got it, so for the rest of the year, our English bathrooms will have nicely scented soap for everyone to use to wash their hands. It seems so trivial to be made happy with a simple handsoap, but something about the fact that someone worked hard to get funding to make my hands smell good, and that my hands do smell good, just makes me a little happier. The last time I went in that bathroom, I used the spiced-apple-scented hand soap, and it smelled just like freshly homemade applesauce. I love Mrs. Anderson's kindness in giving us this little moment of joy in the day, and even after using that bathroom's soap over twenty times, I am still not over her kindness. Every time I smell an especially good hand soap, I will remember her and how much joy using that soap gave me every time.

When I was about four or five years old, I remember waiting at the pool for my family dry off and get ready to leave. My mom was getting frustrated with something, perhaps because we had to leave quickly and we were being held up. I remember her taking a second to look at me, relaxing and complimenting me on my patience. I remember that event because of how important that compliment on my patience meant to me. For a while after that, I was patient because I remembered the praise that I’d received, but it shifted to become a habit, and it is a habit I’m glad I keep. Since then, I have realized the importance of patience in other ways, and my patience has intertwined with my empathy. I realize that other people have a lot going on, just like I do, and so patience is easier to give and hold. In addition, I really appreciate when others are patient with me - sometimes it takes a while for me to understand things - and others’ patience makes me feel like I am worth their time and the feeling of acceptance and kindness is something that I always strive for, and patience gives me the chance to do that.

Ever since I saw Frida Kahlo's work in elementary school, I've thought that Kahlo is an amazing artist. One of the things about Frida Kahlo that intrigues and inspires me the most is that her husband, Diego Rivera, was also an artist, and a famous one at that, but Frida Kahlo’s work wasn’t overshadowed by her husband’s work- nor did her work get attributed to her husband. On top of that, her work is beautiful, and the stories that they tell are beautiful.