I found an outlet for creativity through fashion before I even understood what it could mean for me. Looking back, I remember all of my favorite activities were all based on the idea of creativity and expression. I have been using art as a tool of expression since I could hold a crayon. I have so many ideas and plans to take my childhood playtime activity into a lifelong career. One day, I know the impact of my art will be seen worldwide. I want to create clothes that are wearable and meaningful for the people who wear them. I believe fashion is an art form that anybody can use to express themselves and feel good. Not only do I want people to feel good wearing the clothes, but I also want them to feel good buying them as well. I hope to design to raise awareness for certain social and world issues, and even use them to fundraise for organizations to help make an impact. Art has always worked hand in hand with social change and pushing the world forward, and I want to create garments for all people to wear and show awareness of causes that fall close to their hearts. I also want to help fight the rising subset of the industry that is fast fashion. Fast fashion contributes largely to climate change and pollutes the planet, making the fashion industry as a whole the second-largest polluter, only behind oil. I want to help push the fashion industry toward a better way of working, both socially and environmentally. By having my clothes be produced ethically with well-paid workers and a small environmental impact, it can help with the shift in the industry. In order to accomplish my dream, I am going to need to start my own business, and I have no idea where to start. That is why I need to go to college and get my degree. With this scholarship, I hope to go to school and learn from people who know the fashion industry in and out, and will teach me how to one day accomplish my goal. All I’ve ever wanted to do is make a difference, and I cannot wait to do so. I want to be a part of the change we see in society. We as people need to help push the world forward and help those in need, and not destroy this planet we get the great privilege to call our home. I know the impact of my art will last long after I'm gone. Art is not about what you can say out loud, but what you can’t say with words, and I cannot wait until I can show the world that.

I found an outlet for creativity through fashion before I even understood what it could mean for me. Looking back, I remember all of my favorite activities were all based on the idea of creativity and expression. I have been using art as a tool of expression since I could hold a crayon. I have so many ideas and plans to take my childhood playtime activity into a lifelong career. One day, I know the impact of my art will be seen worldwide. I want to create clothes that are wearable and meaningful for the people who wear them. I believe fashion is an art form that anybody can use to express themselves and feel good. Not only do I want people to feel good wearing the clothes, but I also want them to feel good buying them as well. I hope to design to raise awareness for certain social and world issues, and even use them to fundraise for organizations to help make an impact. Art has always worked hand in hand with social change and pushing the world forward, and I want to create garments for all people to wear and show awareness of causes that fall close to their hearts. I also want to help fight the rising subset of the industry that is fast fashion. Fast fashion contributes largely to climate change and pollutes the planet, making the fashion industry as a whole the second-largest polluter, only behind oil. I want to help push the fashion industry toward a better way of working, both socially and environmentally. By having my clothes be produced ethically with well-paid workers and a small environmental impact, it can help with the shift in the industry. In order to accomplish my dream, I am going to need to start my own business, and I have no idea where to start. That is why I need to go to college and get my degree. With this scholarship, I hope to go to school and learn from people who know the fashion industry in and out, and will teach me how to one day accomplish my goal. All I’ve ever wanted to do is make a difference, and I cannot wait to do so. I want to be a part of the change we see in society. We as people need to help push the world forward and help those in need, and not destroy this planet we get the great privilege to call our home. I know the impact of my art will last long after I'm gone. Art is not about what you can say out loud, but what you can’t say with words, and I cannot wait until I can show the world that.

Education has always been the most important part of my life. My mother always reminds me of when I was 8 and I was on a college campus for the first time. My father was an adjunct professor at a state school not far from where we live. I told my mom at that moment I could not wait to go to college. From then on, it had always been my goal to find a school that felt like mine. Sometimes, you just get that feeling when you're somewhere, a feeling like you really belong. That’s what happened to me at the end of my junior year. The only problem was that the school was a little out of budget. I decided not to let that stop me from going, and I haven’t looked back. I’m currently studying Fashion Marketing at one of the best universities for Fashion. It’s an Art and Design college, so everyone’s brain works like mine: creatively. Not only have I fallen in love with learning again, I feel celebrated for my ideas. I know SCAD is the place I was meant to end up at. Not only are the people amazing, but the classes also help me learn exactly what I want to do within the fashion industry. Fashion is the second largest polluting industry in the world, second only to oil. It doesn’t need to be. Throughout college and my career, I am committed to finding ways to make clothing for the everyday person sustainable, ethical, and affordable. There is no reason we should be killing the planet for tomorrow’s next hot look. I want to make sure I’m in the front of that fight, holding brands responsible and creating alternatives to fast fashion. I’m currently paying for school through student loans, and I’m already in more debt than I would like to be. While my parents want to help with school, it’s hard for them. My brother just graduated college, which he financed through student loans, and they are trying to help him pay off his bills, as well as trying to afford mine. This year, I am working as a Resident Assistant to cover the cost of housing. I will continue to do anything I can to keep going to this school because I know when I leave I will be successful. This scholarship will help me continue to accomplish my goals. I know it’s a big step to believe in a stranger, but I know one day my designs will change the world. Thank you so much for your consideration, and I cannot wait for you to see what I can do.

My parents never wanted to say I had anxiety. I was more than okay with not saying it either, despite me having figured it out long before my diagnosis. If I were to use the word it would become using more real, so I knew to avoid it. I was not anxious. I was shy. I was easily overwhelmed. I was sensitive. I was a nervous kid. I was mature for my age. That word was the one that scared everyone. When something became too much for me to handle, I shut down. My heart would start beating and I couldn’t breathe. At that moment there was only one explanation I could rationalize; I was having a heart attack at 12 years old. I was not the first person to confuse an anxiety attack with a heart attack, in fact, a therapist eventually told me it is one of the most common mistakes in reference to anxiety. As I continued to pass each and every anxiety attack off as something else, I saw how worried my family began to become. My mom has a background in social work, and the symptoms of Anxiety and Depression that began to become visible to anyone I would have a conversation with. My Mom decided I needed to find an outlet, and that's when I found art. I would use any art form I could to explain who I was and how I felt. I would use my clothing to communicate who I was without ever having to verbalize it. Making my own clothes not only motivated me but helped me express who I was. I would write stories about outcasts learning to communicate how they feel and make friends. I learned that if a character can live through my worst-case scenario, there is no reason I can't. Art helped me visualize my fear and work through it in a way I never thought was possible. If you had asked me when I was at the lowest point in my life, I would have stood by the belief that nothing could have helped my mental health. Without the support of my family to branch out and find my outlet, I do not know where I would be. I take time to manage my mental health, and that has changed as I’ve continued to grow and age. I go on walks to help boost my energy. I journal to help get my thoughts out. I write creatively to remove my fears from my head. I meditate to calm my mind. I’ve never felt more confident and stable in my mental health. I know something will eventually trigger a panic attack or place me in a depressive headspace, but now I know I have the tools to find my way out. My mental health could have been a roadblock on the way to my career. Instead, I let it assist me in my future. I am currently studying both fashion and writing, I want to help people find their outlet just as I found mine. People would tell me it was important to put my mental health first, and I didn’t believe them. I didn’t believe them until I felt genuinely happy for the first time since I was a young child, or when learning to manage my Anxiety Disorder helped me find my true passion in life. When I was younger, I would have done anything to be normal, but I have never been prouder to be considered a nervous kid.

My parents never wanted to say I had anxiety. I think that is a common thing in families. People like to use every other word to describe someone besides the one that makes the most sense. I was shy, I was avoidant, I was easily overwhelmed, I was sensitive, my heart was too big for my chest, I was a nervous kid, I was mature for my age, and I was everything I possibly could be, but I did not have anxiety. That word was the one that scared everyone. When something became too much for me to handle, I shut down. My heart would start beating and I couldn’t breathe. At that moment, I thought maybe one of the excuses I was told was true; My heart was too big for my chest, and it would explode. I would be found dead from a heart attack hours later. I was a child and I was going into cardiac arrest. That, however, was not the case. There, at 12 years old, in my middle school white-tiled bathroom in the middle of 5th period, I was having my first panic attack. I was not the first person to confuse a heart attack for an anxiety attack, but I may have been the first child to honestly believe that. As I started to get more and more anxiety attacks, I tried to hide from them. I would stay in my room, avoiding every possible trigger. When I looked at it back then, I believed it was the best way to approach my anxiety as it made the most sense. If I didn’t see anybody, no one would have the opportunity to reject me. If I avoided the things that stressed me out, then I would never feel that tightness in my chest ever again. As I took that approach, I went weeks without seeing my friends. My mental health declined astronomically, reaching its lowest sophomore year of high school. Eventually, I knew I would have to find a way to bring myself back to the real world. If I didn't do that, I would not be alive much longer. The first thing I had to do was realize what my triggers were, and how to overcome them. This is something I still struggle with today. I spent a lot of time assuming people didn’t like me because I didn’t like myself. At that point, I needed an outlet and I found art. I would use any art form I could to explain who I was and how I felt. I would use clothing to communicate who I was without ever having to verbalize it. Making my own clothes not only motivated me but helped me express who I was. I would write stories about outcasts learning to communicate how they feel and make friends. When I couldn't do it, I could write a story about someone who could. I learned how to express myself in ways I never thought possible. It is impossible for me to imagine doing anything else with my life. I have always loved art and using it to express myself has made me the best version of myself. While I still get anxious in many conversations, I know the way I present myself has helped raise my confidence in who I am. My mental health was never something I thought I would be able to manage, let alone be the reason I found my dream career. Without learning to express myself back then, I may not have had a clue about what I wanted to do with my life now. It’s funny to think my anxiety disorder is what helped me figure out who I am. Going forward in my career, I am currently a sophomore in college studying both Fashion and Writing. I want to use both of these art forms to spread awareness and assist people who are struggling the same way I was. By creating clothing that can help people express who they are, they can learn to branch out just as I did. I now know how important it is above all to believe in myself, and when things seem impossible, I have a support system there to help me. My anxiety is no longer something I or my family fear. Instead, it's something we embrace with open arms because if I did not make my peace with it, I don't know where I would be in life. I know mental health is a lifelong journey. I’m running a marathon, not a sprint. I have learned so much about who I am and how much art means to me through my mental health. My anxiety disorder and mental illness are some of the most important parts of who I am. When I was younger, I used to think that "my heart being too big" was my biggest weakness, but now I know it is the thing that makes me the strongest.

I was standing in H&M with my mother the first time I thought about the impact of fashion on the planet. I had found a purple halter top in the clearance section that only cost two dollars and fifty cents. My mom patted me on the shoulder and said “What a steal!” We had just spent sixty dollars on jeans at the last store. As I stood at the cash register with my babysitting money ready to pay for my very own shirt, it hit me for the first time. What is the reason this shirt is such a steal? When I arrived home, I decided to research just that. I typed into the search bar on my computer: “Why is H&M so cheap?” From there, I began to learn more and more about fast fashion and its outcomes on the planet and humanity as a whole. As a sophomore in high school, I was looking forward to my future. I wanted a future in the fashion industry. I loved the way clothing made me feel.I loved the ways I was able to express myself. My inner conflict just began to grow as I learned the industry I had started to love had no care for the planet. The fashion industry in its entirety is responsible for 5-10% of all Greenhouse gases, making it the 4th largest polluting industry in the world. Even further than that, it is estimated that about 75% of all retail clothing sold is still produced in sweatshops. These are easy statistics to find, but the common consumer is often unaware of these simple numbers. The lack of knowledge surrounding the fashion industry is part of the problem. It is easy for people to ignore what they can’t see. They do not see the sweatshops and 79 trillion litters of water waste per year, they just see the two-dollar and fifty-cent price tags. I still have a strong connection to fashion as a whole. I found myself by being able to branch out in my self-expression. I feel as if I was able to become who I was meant to be by exploring fashion, but that doesn’t mean the industry loves me. My goals in my career revolve around making sustainability a central value of the fashion industry. Fast fashion, as it is called, is the most common way clothing is produced, but it doesn’t have to be that way. It took me some time, but I learned more expensive clothing that is made to last is significantly better than the two-dollar shirt I can wear once. I know when given the chance, the common shopper can too. There is no one way to combat climate change. From solar power and recycled fabrics, to reusable water bottles and recycling bins, anything that can be done to help combat climate change is important. My goal in my career is to remind people that sometimes the planet is worth more than a two-dollar shirt. I want to show the common shopper the value of the more expensive clothing not just in their life but in every life around them.

I was eight years old the first time I remember seeing my mother cry. That is a memory I carry with me to this day. It is easy to become taken aback by the realization that your parents are in fact still human. When I saw this, I needed help. I don’t even remember why she was crying, but I remember how much I wanted to make her feel better. Being the redhead youngest daughter already enrolled in theater classes, I did the only thing I could think of to help. I began to sing the song “Tomorrow” From the Broadway musical Annie. The message of that song was not lost on me, even at a young age. In fact, it shaped the characteristic that I value the most in myself. To believe that “The sun will come out tomorrow” is to believe that life could possibly get better. I knew even back then, that was what I needed to do. In order for me to ensure my success, I would continue to carry the sense of optimism I had back then with me for the rest of my life. Optimism is one of the hardest things for a person to find, which is why My family made sure I could always hold onto it. As I went through school, I always found the best in people, and that could lead to me ending up hurt. However, my mother would always help pick me back up and remind me that the good I saw was still there, even if others cannot see it in themselves. We live in a world where people place good news secondary to bad. That is an outlook of which I am very wary. There is a sense of loss in looking at the bad before the good, especially as I go forward in my life and career. If I become obsessive over every little thing that went wrong in a job interview, for example, I will lose all of the positive conversations that I had while in that room. Regardless of if I get the job, it would be almost impossible for me to leave not learning something, and that is something to celebrate regardless. That being said, I do still like to improve my skill based on what goes wrong, and my optimistic outlook helps me with that as well. I know what I need to fix based on what goes wrong. That makes negative criticism biome positive, and I use it to motivate me as I continue on my path in my life and my career. Unfortunately, The world is not as simple as “The sun will come out tomorrow”. That being said, The belief that things might be able to become better tomorrow than they were today, if I continued to try, is one of the most important aspects of life. If I give up seeing the best in the bad, I’ll give up. Optimism is more than just an outlook for me. It makes me who I am.

When I was a child, I was always able to adapt well. Most of the time it was something I was able to laugh off after a couple of days. I would look at it as an “Oh that was strange” rather than try to understand why I felt the way I did. In high school, I found a great balance of mental, physical, and nutritional health, however, when I left for college, I needed a change. I was a competitive equestrian for 7 years of my life. For all of high school, my physical health relied on how much time I spent at the farm. Almost every day after school I would be there exercising. Not only that, I built my mental well-being around the community there. Once I left for college, I gave it all up. That was the biggest readjustment period of my life. The first thing I needed to do was figure out my mental health. People will stress how important mental health is, but it took me until then to realize if my mental health wasn’t working, nothing would. I worked hard to find a community of people who really understood me and helped me feel at home in this strange new place. It took me a couple of weeks, but I found the people I would be able to lean on for the entirety of my college career. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t exercising almost every day. The problem was the exercise I was used to never felt like working out, so it became difficult for me to motivate myself to make trips to the gym. It was never something I loved to do, so I found another solution. I realized I was living in a walkable city. I decided that every day, I would go on a walk to find a new part of the city. This is something I still do to this day. Whenever I need to make a trip, I find a way to integrate walking into my travel. It keeps me healthy, as well as boasting about my mental well-being. Nutritional health was probably the hardest aspect to manage. The cafeteria food does not lend itself to healthy eating, but I refused to let that stop me. I spend Saturdays at the farmers market getting fresh food and finding ways to balance the delicious dessert bar with the subpar salad bar. The issue wasn’t the food they had, it was finding the balance between everything. College is a test in more than just an educational way. I had to find out who I was as a person without the crutches I had for most of my life, and that included every aspect of my health. To this day, I have reminded myself to put myself first, but every day I do it I am a better person. College is a test of a person’s personal health, and it is one I know I will pass.

I never realized this when I was a child, but I was very adaptable growing up. Most of the time it was something I was able to laugh off after a couple of days. I would look at it as an “Oh that was strange” rather than try to understand why I felt the way I did. In high school, I found a great balance of mental, physical, and nutritional health, however, when I left for college, I knew everything would change. I was a competitive equestrian for 7 years of my life. For all of high school, my physical health relied on how much time I spent at the farm. Almost every day after school I would be there exercising. Not only that, I built my mental well-being around the community there. Once I left for college, I gave it all up. I left behind the thing I had used to build my healthy lifestyle around. That was the biggest readjustment period of my life. The first thing I needed to do was figure out my mental health. When I do not feel confident in my mental health, I know I cannot succeed. Leaving behind the place I had used as my support system for so many years was terrifying. In my first few weeks, I tried to do it all on my own, but I learned the hard way that wasn't possible. That was when I started to lean on my new friends. It took me some time but I found the people I would be able to lean on for the entirety of my college career. Another hard adjustment for me was the fact that, for the first time in my life, I wasn’t exercising almost every day. The problem was the exercise I was used to never felt like working out, so it became difficult for me to motivate myself to make trips to the gym. It was never something I loved to do, so I found another solution. I realized I was living in a walkable city. I decided that every day, I would go on a walk to find a new part of the city. This is something I still do to this day. Whenever I need to make a trip, I find a way to integrate walking into my travel. It keeps me healthy, as well as boasting about my mental well-being. Nutritional health was probably the hardest aspect to manage. The cafeteria food does not lend itself to healthy eating, but I refused to let that stop me. I spend Saturdays at the farmers market getting fresh food and finding ways to balance the delicious dessert bar with the subpar salad bar. The issue isn’t the food they had, it was finding the balance between everything. College is a test in more than just an educational way. I had to find out who I was as a person without the crutches I had for most of my life, and that included every aspect of my health. To this day, I have reminded myself to put myself first, but every day I do it I am a better person. College is a test of a person's personal health, and it is one I know I will pass.

I found an outlet for creativity through fashion before I even understood what it could mean for me. Looking back, I remember all of my favorite activities were all based on the idea of creativity and expression. I have been using art as a tool of expression since I could hold a crayon. I have so many ideas and plans to take my childhood playtime activity into a lifelong career. One day, I know the impact of my art will be seen worldwide. I want to create clothes that are wearable and meaningful for the people who wear them. I believe fashion is an art form that anybody can use to express themselves and feel good. Not only do I want people to feel good wearing the clothes, but I also want them to feel good buying them as well. I hope to design to raise awareness for certain social and world issues, and even use them to fundraise for organizations to help make an impact. Art has always worked hand in hand with social change and pushing the world forward, and I want to create garments for all people to wear and show awareness of causes that fall close to their hearts. I also want to help fight the rising subset of the industry that is fast fashion. Fast fashion contributes largely to climate change and pollutes the planet, making the fashion industry as a whole the second-largest polluter, only behind oil. I want to help push the fashion industry toward a better way of working, both socially and environmentally. By having my clothes be produced ethically with well-paid workers and a small environmental impact, it can help with the shift in the industry. In order to accomplish my dream, I am going to need to start my own business, and I have no idea where to start. That is why I need to go to college and get my degree. With this scholarship, I hope to go to school and learn from people who know the fashion industry in and out, and will teach me how to one day accomplish my goal. All I’ve ever wanted to do is make a difference, and I cannot wait to do so. I want to be a part of the change we see in society. We as people need to help push the world forward and help those in need, and not destroy this planet we get the great privilege to call our home. I know the impact of my art will last long after I'm gone. Art is not about what you can say out loud, but what you can’t say with words, and I cannot wait until I can show the world that.

STAINED GLASS WINDOW Transparent soul You said you can see yourself in me And that was intentional, you know I’m shaped to please and bent at the knee Just for your service. But when you let them drop me first When who you looked back at became cursed That’s when the first crack occurred. That’s when I knew I could never be cured. I tried to move on even if I was slightly broken I was ready to find the next person to soak in I was ready to be everything I could for them If you were they were the devil maybe they were a godsend But they didn’t receive a message from god They took who I was and tore it apart somehow they took away more than I ever knew And all I could do was wait until they were through Gently I watched as more chips and cracks lay While I stand there, all for them, on display At a certain point, I began to refract light As if someone had dyed me colors overnight And I waited and waited and stood by No one was able to make it right. But eventually, another person came along They didn’t fix me instead arranged the pieces to face the sun I didn’t think I had the strength to see I hadn’t tried since the first crack I was too scared that if I finally looked I would know their impact See the version of me they created had just become too abstract But as I finally looked to see all the chips that settled in my soul They didn’t ruin the picture, they just made a stained glass window.

I found an outlet for creativity through fashion before I even understood what it was. Looking back, I remember all of my favorite activities were all based on the idea of creativity and expression. I have been using art as a tool of expression since I could hold a crayon. I have so many ideas and plans to take my childhood playtime activity into a lifelong career. One day, I know the impact of my art will be seen worldwide. I want to create wearable and meaningful clothes for all people. As a queer person, I know how important it is to find expression of myself through my clothes. For Non-binary and Trans people, a single article of clothing could help them feel safe and true to themselves, and I would love to be the person who created that moment. Clothes have helped me feel comfortable in my masculinity and feminity, and define myself as the person I am, not the person society told me I should want to be. Not only do I want people to feel good wearing the clothes, but I also want them to feel good buying them. I hope to design to raise awareness for certain social and world issues, and even use them to fundraise for organizations such as GLAAD or the Trevor Project to help make an impact. Art has always worked for hand in hand with social change and pushing the world forward, and I want to create garments for all people to wear and show awareness of causes that fall close to their hearts. I also want to help fight the rising subset of the industry that is fast fashion. Fast fashion contributes largely to climate change and pollutes the planet, making the fashion industry as a whole the second-largest polluter, only behind oil. I want to help push the fashion industry toward a better way of working, both socially and environmentally. By having my clothes be produced ethically with well-paid workers and a small environmental impact, it can help with the shift in the industry. In order to accomplish my dream, I am going to need to start my own business, and I have no idea where to start. That is why I need to go to college and get my degree. With this scholarship, I hope to go to school and learn from people who know the fashion industry in and out, and it will teach me how to one day accomplish my goal. All I’ve ever wanted to do is make a difference, and I cannot wait to do so. I want to be a part of the change we see in society. We as people need to help push the world forward and help those in need, and not destroy this planet we get the great privilege to call our home. I know the impact of my art will last long after I'm gone. Art is not about what you can say out loud, but what you can’t say with words, and I cannot wait until I can show the world that.

Ever since I was little, I’ve never been able to adjust to change very easily. Most of the time it was something I was able to laugh off after a couple of days. I would look at it as an “Oh that was weird” rather than try to understand why I felt the way I did. In high school, I found a great balance of mental, physical, and nutritional health, however, when I left for college, I needed a change. College was always a goal. I had lived in the same place with the same people my entire life, and I could not wait to branch out. I'm attending college in Savannah, about 700 miles from my hometown. College has given me the space to branch out and thrive in a new environment with new people who are so much more similar to me. I could not imagine where I would be without the opportunity to attend school here. That being said, I can't say it wasn't a hard adjustment. For all of high school, my physical health relied on how much time I spent at a horse farm, as I was a competitive equestrian for about 7 years. I built my physical and mental well-being around the community there. Once I left for college, I gave it all up. I knew I would need a plan moving forward. The first thing I needed to do was figure out my mental health. People will stress how important mental health is, but it took me until then to realize if my mental health wasn’t working, nothing would. I worked hard to find a community of people who really understood me and helped me feel at home in this strange new place. It took me a couple of weeks, but I found the people I would be able to lean on for the entirety of my college career. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t exercising almost every day. The problem was the exercise I was used to never felt like working out, so it became difficult for me to motivate myself to make trips to the gym. It was never something I loved to do, so I found another solution. I realized I was living in a walkable city. I decided that every day, I would go on a walk to find a new part of the city. This is something I still do to this day. Whenever I need to make a trip, I find a way to integrate walking into my travel. It keeps me healthy, as well as boasting about my mental well-being. Nutritional health was probably the hardest aspect to manage. The cafeteria food does not lend itself to healthy eating, but I refused to let that stop me. I spend Saturdays at the farmers market getting fresh food and finding ways to balance the delicious dessert bar with the subpar salad bar. The issue wasn’t the food they had, it was finding the balance between everything. College is a test and in more than just an educational way. I had to find out who I was as a person without the crutches I had for most of my life, and that included every aspect of my health. To this day, I have reminded myself to put myself first, but every day I do it I am a better person. College is a test of a person’s personal health, and it is one I know I will pass.

There is an expression that “Everything happens for a reason”. I’m not sure how much I believe that, but I do believe that the world has a way of trying to help you, at least It did for me when I was 13 years old. That was the age I got my first dog, Libby. I truly believe Libby was meant to find us. She was “a street dog” or at least that’s what Jill, The woman who found her, would call her. On a road trip from Georgia to New Jersey, she was sitting outside of a liberty gas station. Jill asked the employees about her. They said that the dog had been there for a few days just looking for food. That’s when she loaded her into the car and started driving. For 6 months, She took care of Libby. Libby went everywhere with her and she was rarely on a leash. She didn’t need it. All she wanted to do was follow her person around. Honestly, she also wasn’t the biggest fan of leashes. My family believes she used to be tied somewhere and that was why she would try to chew through every leash we put her on. Even with little things like that would remind us of what Libby’s life used to be, she adjusted well to having people care about her. The only problem was Jill couldn’t keep her. That was when I was introduced to Libby. Up until that point, the year had been the hardest one of my life. I was being harassed and bullied every day. They made me insecure about every aspect of my life. It was to the point I never tried to meet anyone else because I could never imagine a person liking me. I didn’t want to get out of bed. It takes a lot to get out of that headspace, but for me, all it took was a dog. My mom let us take it to Libby, and it didn’t take long for Libby to figure out why. I would bring her with me everywhere. Whether it was a doctor’s office or sports field, Libby was always there. She was my emotional support animal and she knew it. She would sit in the driveway for hours just waiting for me to get home from school. I learned what unconditional love was through her. Libby was my best friend when I couldn’t find it, and my support system when I needed it. She saved my life. In my sophomore year of high school, Libby was diagnosed with a blood disorder. Her red blood cells would attack each other, causing her to become lethargic and stop eating. After a week at the vet and multiple blood transfusions, it became clear that nothing was going to help her. That evening, I had to say goodbye to the dog who saved my life. She was five years old. After Libby’s passing, My family began to foster dogs through a dog rescue. We wanted to allow more dogs to touch people’s lives the way Libby had touched ours. We only had Libby for two years but her impact will last forever. Now, I’m a sophomore in college. A year and a half after I said goodbye to Libby, my family adopted a puppy who is absolutely nothing like her, but I think that’s a good thing. I don’t think I will ever have another Libby. That dog was too one of a kind.

Ever since I was little, I’ve never been able to adjust to change very easily. Most of the time it was something I was able to laugh off after a couple of days. I would look at it as an “Oh that was weird” rather than try to understand why I felt the way I did. In high school, I found a great balance of mental, physical, and nutritional health, however, when I left for college, I knew everything would change. I was a competitive equestrian for 7 years of my life. For all of high school, my physical health relied on how much time I spent at the farm. Almost every day after school I would be there exercising. Not only that, I built my mental well-being around the community there. Once I left for college, I gave it all up. I left behind the thing I had used to build my healthy lifestyle around. That was the biggest readjustment period of my life. The first thing I needed to do was figure out my mental health. Leaving behind the place I had used as my support system for so many years was terrifying. I learned quickly that I didn't do well without a support system. In my first few weeks, I tried to do it all on my own, but I learned the hard way that wasn't possible. That was when I started to lean on my new friends. It took me some time but I found the people I would be able to lean on for the entirety of my college career. Another hard adjustment for me was the fact that, for the first time in my life, I wasn’t exercising almost every day. The problem was the exercise I was used to never felt like working out, so it became difficult for me to motivate myself to make trips to the gym. It was never something I loved to do, so I found another solution. I realized I was living in a walkable city. I decided that every day, I would go on a walk to find a new part of the city. This is something I still do to this day. Whenever I need to make a trip, I find a way to integrate walking into my travel. It keeps me healthy, as well as boasting about my mental well-being. Nutritional health was probably the hardest aspect to manage. The cafeteria food does not lend itself to healthy eating, but I refused to let that stop me. I spend Saturdays at the farmers market getting fresh food and finding ways to balance the delicious dessert bar with the subpar salad bar. The issue isn’t the food they had, it was finding the balance between everything. College is a test and in more than just an educational way. I had to find out who I was as a person without the crutches I had for most of my life, and that included every aspect of my health. To this day, I have reminded myself to put myself first, but every day I do it I am a better person. College is a test of a person's personal health, and it is one I know I will pass.

Ever since I was little, I’ve never been able to adjust to change very easily. Most of the time it was something I was able to laugh off after a couple of days. I would look at it as an “Oh that was weird” rather than try to understand why I felt the way I did. In high school, I found a great balance of mental, physical, and nutritional health, however, when I left for college, I needed a change. I was a competitive equestrian for 7 years of my life. For all of high school, my physical health relied on how much time I spent at the farm. Almost every day after school I would be there exercising. Not only that, I built my mental well-being around the community there. Once I left for college, I gave it all up. That was the biggest readjustment period of my life. The first thing I needed to do was figure out my mental health. People will stress how important mental health is, but it took me until then to realize if my mental health wasn’t working, nothing would. I worked hard to find a community of people who really understood me and helped me feel at home in this strange new place. It took me a couple of weeks, but I found the people I would be able to lean on for the entirety of my college career. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t exercising almost every day. The problem was the exercise I was used to never felt like working out, so it became difficult for me to motivate myself to make trips to the gym. It was never something I loved to do, so I found another solution. I realized I was living in a walkable city. I decided that every day, I would go on a walk to find a new part of the city. This is something I still do to this day. Whenever I need to make a trip, I find a way to integrate walking into my travel. It keeps me healthy, as well as lifting my mental well-being. Nutritional health was probably the hardest aspect to manage. The cafeteria food does not lend itself to healthy eating, but I refused to let that stop me. I spend Saturdays at the farmers market getting fresh food and finding ways to balance the delicious dessert bar with the subpar salad bar. The issue isn’t the food they had, it was finding the balance between everything. College is a test and in more than just an educational way. I had to find out who I was as a person without the crutches I had for most of my life, and that included every aspect of my health. To this day, I have reminded myself to put myself first, but every day I do it I am a better person. College is a test of a person's personal health, and I know this exam will be one I pass.

My parents never wanted to say I had anxiety. Truthfully, I didn’t want to say it either. Somehow, using the word made it more real, so we found ways to avoid it. I was shy, I was avoidant, I was easily overwhelmed, I was sensitive, my heart was too big for my chest, I was a nervous kid, I was mature for my age, I was everything but anxious. That word was the one that scared everyone. When something became too much for me to handle, I shut down. My heart would start beating and I couldn’t breathe. At that moment, I thought maybe one of the excuses I was told was true; My heart was too big for my chest. I was having a heart attack at 12 years old. I was not the first person to confuse a heart attack for an anxiety attack, but I may have been the first child to do so. As I started to get more and more anxiety attacks, I tried to hide from them. I would stay in my room, avoiding every possible trigger. At that point, I believed it was the best way to approach my anxiety. If I didn’t see anybody, no one would have the opportunity to reject me. As I isolated myself, my mental health declined astronomically, reaching its lowest sophomore year of high school. I did not want to get out of bed, and I felt trapped in a cycle of wanting to do everything I was supposed to and not being able to make myself. It was very rare a day went by when I didn’t have an anxiety or panic attack. Eventually, I knew I would have to find a way to bring myself back to the real world. If I didn't do that, I would not be alive much longer. The first thing I had to do was realize what my triggers were, and how to overcome them. This is something I still struggle with today. I spent a lot of time assuming people didn’t like me because I didn’t like myself. At that point, I needed an outlet, and I chose art. I would use any art form I could to explain who I was and how I felt. I would use clothing to communicate who I was without ever having to verbalize it. Making my own clothes not only motivated me but helped me express who I was. I would write stories about outcasts learning to communicate how they feel and make friends. Learned how to express myself in ways I never thought possible. It is impossible for me to imagine doing anything else with my life. I have always loved art, and using it to express myself has made me the best version of myself. While I still get anxious in many conversations, I know the way I present myself has helped raise my confidence in who I am. My mental health was never something I thought I would be able to manage, let alone be the reason I found my dream career. Without learning to express myself back then, I may not have had a clue about what I wanted to do with my life now. It’s funny to think my anxiety disorder is what helped me figure out who I am. I know mental health is a lifelong journey. I’m running a marathon, not a sprint. I have learned so much about who I am and how much art means to me through my mental health. My anxiety disorder and mental illness are some of the most important parts of who I am. When I was younger, I used to think that my heart being too big was my biggest weakness, but now I know it is the thing that makes me the strongest.

My parents never wanted to say I had anxiety. Truthfully, I didn’t want to say it either. Somehow, using the word made it seem real, so we found ways to avoid it. I was shy, I was easily overwhelmed, I was sensitive, my heart was too big for my chest, I was a nervous kid, I was mature for my age, I was everything but anxious. That word was the one that scared everyone. When something became too much for me to handle, I shut down. My heart would start beating and I couldn’t breathe. At that moment, I thought maybe one of the excuses I was told was true; My heart was too big for my chest. I was having a heart attack at 12 years old. I was not the first person to confuse an anxiety attack with a heart attack, and I’m sad to say I don’t think I’ll be the last. Mental illness is something that is often glossed over, especially when the person experiencing it is a teen or a child. There always seemed to be another explanation, and I always tried to agree with that. Now, I know just how important mental health is for not just me but everyone. The moment people started telling me my mental health was as important as my physical health, I started trying to find ways to manage it. I needed an outlet, and I chose art. I would use any art form I could to explain who I was and how I felt. I would use my clothing to communicate who I was without ever having to verbalize it. Making my own clothes not only motivated me but helped me express who I was. I would write stories about outcasts learning to communicate how they feel and make friends. Learned how to express myself in ways I never thought possible. If you had asked me when I was at the lowest point in my life, I would have stood by the belief that nothing could help my mental health. At first, I believed I needed medication. I still believe that medication is important for some, but it never worked for me. Now, I take time to manage my mental health, and that has changed as I’ve continued to grow and age. I go on walks to help boost my energy. I journal to help get my thoughts out. I write creatively to remove my fears from my head. I meditate to calm my mind. I’ve never felt more confident and stable in my mental health. For me, My mental health could have been a roadblock on the way to my career. I did not let it be, and that is my biggest accomplishment. People would tell me it was important to put my mental health first, and I didn’t believe them. I didn’t believe them until I felt genuinely happy for the first time since I was a young child, or when learning to manage my Anxiety Disorder helped me find my true passion in life. When I was younger, I would have done anything to be normal, but I have never been prouder of my heart which was once called too big for my chest.

My parents never wanted to say I had anxiety. Truthfully, I didn’t want to say it either. Somehow, using the word made it seem real, so we found ways to avoid it. I was shy, I was avoidant, I was easily overwhelmed, I was sensitive, my heart was too big for my chest, I was a nervous kid, I was mature for my age, and I was everything but anxious. That word was the one that scared everyone. When something became too much for me to handle, I shut down. My heart would start beating and I couldn’t breathe. At that moment, I thought maybe one of the excuses I was told was true; My heart was too big for my chest. I was having a heart attack at 12 years old. I was not the first person to confuse a heart attack for an anxiety attack, but I may have been the first child to do so. As I started to get more and more anxiety attacks, I tried to hide from them. I would stay in my room, avoiding every possible trigger. At that point, I believed it was the best way to approach my anxiety. If I didn’t see anybody, no one would have the opportunity to reject me. As I isolated myself, my mental health declined astronomically, reaching its lowest sophomore year of high school. I did not want to get out of bed, and I felt trapped in a cycle of wanting to do everything I was supposed to and not being able to make myself. It was very rare a day went by when I didn’t have an anxiety or panic attack. Eventually, I knew I would have to find a way to bring myself back to the real world. If I didn't do that, I would not be alive much longer. The first thing I had to do was realize what my triggers were, and how to overcome them. This is something I still struggle with today. I spent a lot of time assuming people didn’t like me because I didn’t like myself. At that point, I needed an outlet, and I chose art. I would use any art form I could to explain who I was and how I felt. I would use clothing to communicate who I was without ever having to verbalize it. Making my own clothes not only motivated me but helped me express who I was. I would write stories about outcasts learning to communicate how they feel and make friends. I Learned how to express myself in ways I never thought possible. It is impossible for me to imagine doing anything else with my life. I have always loved art, and using it to express myself has made me the best version of myself. While I still get anxious in many conversations, I know the way I present myself has helped raise my confidence in who I am. My mental health was never something I thought I would be able to manage, let alone be the reason I found my dream career. Without learning to express myself back then, I may not have a clue about what I wanted to do with my life now. It’s funny to think my anxiety disorder is what helped me figure out who I am. I know mental health is a lifelong journey. I’m running a marathon, not a sprint. I have learned so much about who I am and how much art means to me through my mental health. My anxiety disorder and mental illness are some of the most important parts of who I am. When I was younger, I used to think that my heart being too big was my biggest weakness, but now I know it is the thing that makes me the strongest.

Education has always been the most important part of my life. My mother always reminds me of when I was 8 and I was on a college campus for the first time. My father was an adjunct professor at a state school not far from where we live. I told my mom at that moment I could not wait to go to college. From then on, it had always been my goal to find a school that felt like mine. Sometimes, you just get that feeling when you're somewhere, a feeling like you really belong. That’s what happened to me at the end of my junior year. I’m currently studying Fashion Design at one of the best universities for fashion. It’s an Art and Design college, so everyone’s brain works like mine: creatively. Not only have I fallen in love with learning again, I feel celebrated in my ideas. I know SCAD is the place I was meant to end up at. Not only are the people amazing, but the classes also help me learn exactly what I want to do within the fashion industry. Fashion is the second largest polluting industry in the world, second only to oil. It doesn’t need to be. Throughout college and my career, I am committed to finding ways to make clothing for the everyday person sustainable, ethical, and affordable. There is no reason we should be killing the planet for tomorrow’s next hot look. I want to make sure I’m in the front of that fight, holding brands responsible and creating alternatives to fast fashion. My higher education is helping me learn everything I need to be successful in not just my career but in my life. I have lived on my own for the first time, meaning I'm learning how to completely take care of myself. It was unnerving for me at first to have full responsibility for all of my habits, but it has proven to be more liberating than anxiety-provoking. I feel as if I have grown into who I want to be, as a person and professionally. I am only a sophomore, and my university has already taught me so much. I'm not only learning how to pursue the career I've dreamed of, but to be confident, independent, and honest about who I am. High education has provided me with some of the best experiences in my life, and I know it will continue to shape me into who I am meant to be.

Education has always been the most important part of my life. My mother always reminds me of when I was 8 and I was allowed on a college campus for the first time. My father was an adjunct professor at a state school not far from where we live, and he let me sit in on his class. I told my mom at that moment I could not wait to go to college. From then on, it was clear to everyone that all I wanted to do was learn. If I had the opportunity to learn about something, I would always take it. During so many family vacations, I would ask my parents to take me to the historical sights of the place we were visiting. It was amazing to see the history of my state and the surrounding areas, and now that I'm away at school, a whole new city. As I continue my education, I'm making a point to use my elective credits to learn as much as I could. Becoming the most well-rounded learner I can while at college will help me in my career, as well as in life. The classes at my university give me the best education I've had to date, but I know my learning isn't going to stop there. One way I'm going to continue to learn after college is one of the most overlooked ways to learn. I want to continue to talk to strangers. While that is always advised against when you are a child, sometimes, the most amazing things come from those small conversations in coffee shops or seats of an airplane. Everyone has such an interesting story, and I cannot wait to learn each and every one of them. When I was out with my mother once, she held the door for an old man with a cane at the bank. As he thanked her, he told her about how the injury was from when he fought in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. Right there, in the middle of a bank lobby, I received the best history lesson of my life. One of the best ways to keep learning is to ask people their stories, and that is how I am planning on continuing my education after I graduate from a formal university. I want to learn from others. Education is such an important part of everyone's life, and not just while they are in school. The day people stop trying the learn, they shut off so many new experiences. College is important to me because I get to learn, but life is even more important than that, and coincidentally, for the same reason.

When I was about eight years old, I heard the TV in my living room say "I'm Megara, but my friends call me Meg." As someone with the name "Meg", this caught my attention. I walked in to see my brother watching Hercules. This movie not only introduced me to the idea of greek mythology, but it also introduced me to the idea of a strong female character. Megara was different than all of the other Disney princesses I was introduced to as a child. She was sarcastic, independent, strong, and most importantly, she made mistakes. She was not the perfect fairytale princess who was polite and kind to everyone, which made her so much more real. Megara's story is a greek tragedy, in the setting of a Disney movie of course. She gave her soul to Hades in order to bring her boyfriend to life, and then he left her for someone else. She spends the movie under the control of Hades, as punishment for trading her soul. When the movie starts, Megara is hurt and closed off from others. She is blaming herself for what happened. She dismisses Hercules, and moves on, Thinking that opening herself up to love again could leave her hurt. Eventually, the more she gets to know him, the more she forgives herself for the past and accepted that what happened was not her responsibility. She is paying for his mistakes, but she learns that not everyone will hurt her as he did. in the end she stood up against Hades and saves Hercules. Throughout the entire movie, she stayed true to who she was, a strong, independent, and confident woman. As she said in her introduction "I'm a damsel, I'm in distress, I can handle it. Have a nice day." When I was younger, I would say Meg was my favorite Disney character because we had the same name and she wore the color purple (my favorite color), but now, I would say she is my favorite character still because she taught me how to be confident. Megara was the first princess who wouldn't apologize for who she was, and that is a lesson I carry with me to this day.

Never forget who you are, in the midst of anything. That's how you know you will always win. Throughout all of educational life, there is always some type of pressure. Other students, parents, or even the institution itself could be trying to convince you that you are wrong about something, and while you could be wrong about a math equation or a grammatical error, never let anyone convince you you're wrong about yourself. Being confident about who you are and what you want to do in life is the best way to succeed. In high school, I lost sight of myself. Because of that, I felt behind in who I am, and I'm still not sure I'm completely caught up. I know I am trying, but if I could go back and tell myself one thing, it would be to be true to myself no matter how hard. If you stay true to yourself everything else will follow, believe it or not. When your yourself, you know what your purpose is. If you never forget who you are, you will always win. I promise. Instagram: Meg.Barnard.21

2020 is a year that will live in history books. Between the pandemic, the heightened political tension, and all the unexpected and historic events, it is unforgettable. Though the world has seemed to start recovering from the repercussions of 2020, I want to make sure I never fully recover from it and its monumental impact it had on my life. All my life I had very bad anxiety and would enter depressive episodes when I get overwhelmed. I was feeling overwhelmed and overworked in February of 2020. It was my junior year, and I was beyond stressed with my 3 AP courses and trying to work out college tours and manage my job and try to find time to be with my friends. I felt like I was running on fumes trying to handle everything until I got the call; School was closed for two weeks due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Two weeks then grew into three, which grew into a month, which grew into two, and eventually was marked as the end of the school year. At first, I was Relieved. I didn’t have all the stress. It was easy. This time was unforgettable because, for the first time in my life, I didn’t have to do anything. I sat at home with my completed work starting a new Netflix series. For about a week or two it was good until it wasn’t. I always have hated feeling trapped. I had my neighbor walks and weekly facetime calls with my friends, but it was just me most of the time. My family was there, and they watched helplessly as I began to slip into my newest depressive episode, and the one thing that always pulled me out, time away with friends, was something I couldn’t do. I had to learn how to do it myself. I had to learn to live with myself. I looked at the reasons I was upset and depressed, and it was so hard to figure out until I did. Then it made the most sense in the world. I knew the person I was presenting to the world wasn’t real. She was a facade I made up when I started high school to fit and be like everyone. But being like everyone was slowly destroying me. I found hobbies that I loved and found new ways of expression. I no longer wanted to hold back. I learned to not only be happy with the person I am, but the beliefs and opinions I had. Growing up in a small town without a lot of diversity in opinion, I was always the chameleon. Whether I thought something was wrong or right I would agree. I didn’t want to rock the boat until I learned how harmful that was for me. I began to grow confident in my opinions and beliefs. It was okay to feel how I did and be who I was, and I could only learn that in the absence of others. Looking to the future, I know I will take these lessons I learned in isolation to the world I am about to enter. I am leaving high school and moving 14 hours away. A fresh start is about to bloom for me, and I know I couldn’t have been willing to make that call without the self-reflecting and learning I had done when I was in quarantine. The future is uncertain, but 2020 taught me how to chase my dreams and be myself, and that is something I will hold onto way after the New Year's Eve ball changed the year.

Growing up, I was always called a nervous kid. My mom said I cared so much about everyone, and my grandma would respond with “her heart’s just too big!” I honestly believed that. I was sensitive, and I felt things deeply. I have always experienced every emotion to the extreme, the hurt, the jubilance, the woefulness, the exhilaration, and the pain all felt like they would last indefinitely. When something got really bad I would get incredibly nervous. My heart would start beating and I couldn’t breathe. I thought of how my grandmother described it; too big for my chest, it just hurts because it doesn’t fit, and that was how I would rationalize it when it started to feel like it was about to implode. Since then, I learned that was an anxiety attack, something I started experiencing more and more when I got to high school. My mental health started to decline astronomically, reaching its lowest sophomore year. I did not want to get out of bed, and I felt trapped in a cycle of wanting to do everything I was supposed to and not being able to make myself. It was a war. It was very rare a day went by when I didn’t have a panic attack. As it got worse, I began to push people away. My friends hated me, at least that was what I thought, so why would they want to hear from me. I didn’t want to believe in anything because I could not believe in myself. My anxiety and depression completely engulfed me. Eventually, I found a light at the end of the tunnel. Slowly, I had to learn how to navigate the confusing world of mental illness, because even as I started to pull myself out of that place, I knew how easy it would be for me to slip back. That’s when I threw myself into fashion design. I spend time sketching and drawing and theming collections in my head, then onto paper, then creating them into reality. This outlet let me express myself when I felt like I couldn't verbalize how I felt. All I needed was a way to express myself, and tell people how I feel while still being afraid to talk to them. I was so lucky to find it. I asked my friends for help, and they listened. I learned to lean on the things I thought could never help, but they ended up being the ones who saved my life. I know mental health is a lifelong journey. I’m running a marathon, not a sprint. I have learned so much about who I am and how much arts mean to me through my mental health. Even if I hated how much it affected me, I could never imagine my life without me. My mental health struggles are a part of me I cannot erase, but I like to think of that as a good thing. When I was younger, I used to think that my heart being too big was my biggest weakness, and now, I know it is the thing that makes me the strongest.

We are always told kindness can save someone’s life. That never used to mean anything to me. Kindness used to represent the little things such as picking up someone's binder they dropped, or complimenting someone's outfit, or helping someone with a math problem. All those little acts of kindness were things I did daily. But I would have never imagined one person's act of kindness would have saved my life. It was a big statement to make, and I honestly wasn’t able to process all this person had done for me until about a year ago. Middle school is never easy for anyone, but for me, I had picked up this new group of friends, or at least, they were supposed to be my friends, until I became something for them to project their insecurities on. It started as little jokes, making fun of my flaming red hair or my outfit choices or music taste, but it ended with one of them telling me I was better off dead and planning out what ways I should die. At first, I was mortified by what she said. To me it had to be a joke, it had to be something funny I wasn’t comprehending, but as she repeated it more and more, I started to believe it. What if what she was saying was true? What if I was a burden? What if I did die? Would people care? Would they even notice? It was at this point I had one friend who had seen what this had been doing to me. I explained some things that had been said to me, and how I thought it was okay because they were my friends and I trusted them. She didn’t yell at me or scold me. All she did was hug me. I don’t think I could ever forget it. Her just being there, just holding me when I hadn't felt like I was worth the space I was taking up in so long meant the world to me. She later took me to the counseling center where they helped take care of the situation. Without her, I don’t think I would be here today. Just a hug did more for me than anything else could have at that point. Looking back, her act of kindness started me on my path to love and accept myself and I don’t think I could ever thank her for that. Looking to the future, we are going to separate colleges and on separate paths. After her being my best friend for so long after that, and everything she has done for me, it will be hard to not see her as often. Even with that, no distance could change the impact she has had and will forever have on my life, and how her single act of kindness saved me and gave me the future I now have.

At age 4, I had first asked my mom for horseback riding lessons. She rejected, as it was too dangerous and I was too young. I pushed again at age 5 and her answer persisted, but so did I. I continued to beg at ages 6, 7, and finally, at age 8, she gave in. I began horseback riding to educate me on horses and to keep active, but I would have never imagined the most important lessons I learned would have nothing to do with horses. I met my current riding instructor around 10 or 11. At first, I had started my lessons with someone else, until she left on maternity leave. That’s when I started training with Meg. She became more than just my instructor, she became my first boss, a mentor, and eventually another mother to me. She cared so much about me and all the other girls there, keeping us safe both emotionally and physically. At first, I was honestly scared of her. I didn’t want to do anything to change her image of me in her brain. She was tough and refused to be walked on by anyone, and I admired that. Eventually one day, something upsetting had happened in my home life and I broke down crying in front of her. She watched and responded with what I needed the most; a hug. From then on, I began to open up to her. It became a common conversation during the 3-hour drives to horse shows. I would tell her about problems with friends, classes that were stressing me out, my anxiety issues and so much more. She would truly listen and give me advice on my issues and how I should fix them, and how she fixed her problems when she was younger. I learned so much about how she followed her own dream, opening her own business doing what she loved, even when people told her it was a bad idea. She taught me so much about life, chasing your dreams, and myself, I almost forget her actual job was to teach me about horses. Whether she meant to or not, through the lessons with horses or long conversations on drives or nights I stayed at her house because we were leaving at 3 AM for a horse show, I learned so much about confidence, standing up for myself, letting people in, strength, leadership, and being honest to me. Only after a long conversation with her did I feel good about my college and career choice, and all she had to say was “I am confident in you that you are making the smart decision. Trust yourself.” Every lesson she taught me will help me navigate the intense and cutthroat world that is the fashion industry, and I don’t believe I would be able to without her help. She taught me how to use my strength, drive, and determination and I don’t know where I would be without her. I have taken every message she has said to heart, and I am using each lesson to set myself up for a successful future. I know it will not be easy, but she taught me resilience. I know I will fail, but she taught me to get back up. I know it will take effort, but she taught me hard work and determination. I took everything she taught me to heart and will use it throughout my entire life. I know by working my hardest and being successful, I will show her how much her lessons have meant to me. I would not be the person I am today without her help. She helped me grow into the person I was always supposed to be and taught me lessons that I will use for the rest of my life. If I hadn’t kept pushing for riding lessons at ages 4, 5, 6, or 7, I wouldn’t have become who I was meant to, or learn all the lessons I needed. Meg has been such an impactful person in my life, and I cannot wait to show her what I can do with all her lessons.

At age 4, I had first asked my mom for horseback riding lessons. She rejected, as it was too dangerous and I was too young. I pushed again at age 5 and her answer persisted, but so did I. I continued to beg at ages 6, 7, and finally, at age 8, she gave in. I began horseback riding to educate me on horses and to keep active, but I would have never imagined the most important lessons I learned would have nothing to do with horses. I met my current riding instructor around 10 or 11. At first, I had started my lessons with someone else, until she left on maternity leave. That’s when I started training with Meg. I laughed at our first interaction, as we shared a name and I was so young, it seemed like the most outlandish thing. As I grew older and spent more time around the barn and her, it started to become confusing. I then gained the nickname “Little Meg” to tell us apart. “Big Meg” or my riding instructor became more than just my instructor, she became my first boss, a mentor, and eventually another mother to me. She cared so much about me and all the other girls there, keeping us safe both emotionally and physically. At first, I was honestly scared of her. I didn’t want to do anything to change her image of me in her brain. She was tough and refused to be walked on by anyone, and I admired that. Eventually one day, something upsetting had happened in my home life and I broke down crying in front of her. She watched and responded with what I needed the most; a hug. From then on, I began to open up to her. It became a common conversation during the 3-hour drives to horse shows. I would tell her about problems with friends, classes that were stressing me out, my anxiety issues and so much more. She would truly listen and give me advice on my issues and how I should fix them, and how she fixed her problems when she was younger. I learned so much about how she followed her own dream, opening her own business doing what she loved, even when people told her it was a bad idea. She taught me so much about life, chasing your dreams, and myself, I almost forget her actual job was to teach me about horses. Whether she meant to or not, through the lessons with horses or long conversations on drives or nights I stayed at her house because we were leaving at 3 AM for a horse show, I learned so much about confidence, standing up for myself, letting people in, strength, leadership, and being honest to me. Only after a long conversation with her did I feel good about my college and career choice, and all she had to say was “I am confident in you that you are making the smart decision. Trust yourself.” Every lesson she taught me will help me navigate the intense and cutthroat world that is the fashion industry, and I don’t believe I would be able to without her help. She taught me how to use my strength, drive, and determination and I don’t know where I would be without her. I would not be the person I am today without her help. She helped me grow into the person I was always supposed to be and taught me lessons that I will use for the rest of my life. If I hadn’t kept pushing for riding lessons at ages 4, 5, 6, or 7, I wouldn’t have become who I was meant to, or learn all the lessons I needed. Meg has been such an impactful person in my life, and I cannot wait to show her what I can do with all her lessons.

When we are younger, we are all told we are going to change the world one day. I don’t think people understood how much I would believe that. I told everyone that I would change the world for years, and I continue to make that my goal in the future. Many people saw that as crazy; A childhood dream I have yet to outgrow. However last year, I began to do research on where my impact was needed and could be seen, and slowly people started to learn I would stop at nothing to make my dream of change a reality. During my junior year of high school, I learned of the slow fashion industry. As someone who has always wanted to work in the fashion industry, it fascinated me. Slow fashion showed me this world of creating environmentally-friendly and ethically made goods in order to reduce the harm of carbon emissions and the use of sweatshops. Until then, I never understood how harmful the fashion industry was. Now, I know that the fashion industry is the second largest polluting industry behind only oil. The industry creates water waste, deadstock fabric sent to landfills, carbon emissions from factories, and that doesn’t even mention some of the horrible treatment of workers in these facilities. It needs to be fixed. After learning all of this, I couldn’t just ignore it anymore. I started making sure I shopped sustainably and tried to raise awareness on this issue, but I still wanted to do more. That is when I knew I had to create my own brand one day, and have an affordable and ethical alternative to what most clothing stores provide. One day, I hope to run my own ethically made clothing store with different lines from independent designers and while selling those products, also raise awareness for the negative effects of the fashion industry. I would also love to have collections dedicated to certain non-profit organizations where a percentage of the profit can be donated to benefit whatever causes inspired it, which could be anything from saving the turtles to a women's shelter, to national parks to LGBTQ youth organizations. The possibilities are endless, and I cannot wait to begin. I know I can better society, and it has been my dream to do so my entire life, but I also know this path will not be easy. However, I know the ups and downs and successes and failures will only help shape me and my business into what it is meant to be. I am looking forward to learning how it is that I can achieve my dream at college, and more importantly, I can’t wait to move forward and found my own company. I always knew I would change the world, and I am so excited to finally know how I will do that.

When I was younger and would get upset, my dad would have me put on a movie. Together, we would sit, watch, laugh and forget every tear shed. Today, I still do the same thing, which means I have seen my fair share of movies, and honestly, My favorite changes almost weekly. However, the one that always stays in the top ranks is Star Wars: A New Hope. I was raised in a Star Wars family. I watched A New Hope for the first time at age 4. I watched in amazement and awe of this young man with the power to move things with his mind, a quick-witted scoundrel, and a strong and beautiful princess from space. While the movie holds some nostalgia points, it is so much more than that. It was revolutionary in its time and even still today. The franchise continues to thrive, and this was the movie that started it all. The movie has adventure, mysticism, a love story, lessons on family, and most importantly enough action to last a lifetime. On nights when I get upset, I’ve watched this movie over and over, and it’s never gotten old. At this point, I have probably seen A New Hope close to 30 times, and I think after I finish writing this, It’s going to be 31. Star Wars: A New Hope was a revolutionary film that has held the test of time. Every time I get asked about my favorite movie, it is so hard to decide because I have seen some amazing movies, but nothing will ever compare to the thrill I still get watching star wars. It takes me back to that 4-year-old, in amazement of the way a lightsaber moved. Nothing could ever top it in my eyes.

Growing up, I was always called a nervous kid. My mom said I cared so much about everyone, and my grandma would respond with “her heart’s just too big!” I honestly believed that. I was sensitive, and I felt things deeply. I have always experienced every emotion to the extreme, the hurt, the jubilance, the woefulness, the exhilaration, and the pain all felt like they would last indefinitely. When something got really bad I would get incredibly nervous. My heart would start beating and I couldn’t breathe. I thought of how my grandmother described it; too big for my chest, it just hurts because it doesn’t fit, and that was how I would rationalize it when it started to feel like it was about to implode. Now, I know that was an anxiety attack, something I started experiencing more and more when I got to high school. My mental health started to decline astronomically, reaching its lowest sophomore year. I did not want to get out of bed, and I felt trapped in a cycle of wanting to do everything I was supposed to and not being able to make myself. It was a war. It was very rare a day went by when I didn’t have a panic attack, and it was a wild victory every time it did. Slowly, I had to learn how to navigate the confusing world of mental illness, because even as I started to pull myself out of that place, I knew how easy it would be for me to slip back. That’s when I threw myself into fashion design. I spend time sketching and drawing and theming collections in my head, then onto paper, then creating them into reality. This outlet let me express myself when I felt like I couldn't verbalize how I felt. All I needed was a way to express myself, and tell people how I feel while still being afraid to talk to them. I was so lucky to find it. Knowing what I do now, It is impossible for me to imagine doing anything else with my life. I have always been creating art in one way or another, and the moment I stopped it sent me deep into the darkness, and only arts could pull me out. I know fashion design helps me, but it will also help others as people can use my clothes to express themselves one day. My clothes can make an impact on others' mental health, which is the most beautiful thing to come out of all of this. I know mental health is a lifelong journey. I’m running a marathon, not a sprint. I have learned so much about who I am and how much arts mean to me through my mental health. Even if I hated how much it affected me, I could never imagine my life without me. My mental health struggles are as much a part of me as Fashion itself. When I was younger, I used to think that my heart being too big was my biggest weakness, and now, I know it is the thing that makes me the strongest.

The first time I experienced a panic attack, I had no idea what was happening. I thought I was going to die. The sky was falling, the room was spinning, and I was frozen. In about 25 minutes, I felt fine. I was back to normal and It was like nothing had happened. It made no sense to me and no one could explain to me what happened; To me, I was broken. After it was over, I didn’t want to tell anyone. I felt weak. I was always a nervous child, but that was pinned as me being worried and working myself up. I believed that too until I could start to do research on my own. Anxiety and panic attacks were more common than I thought. It wasn’t something I needed to be ashamed of or hide. My mom listened to me and was willing to get me help. My dad is trying to understand, even if it’s hard for him. I still sometimes feel ashamed or scared regarding my mental health because there is such a stigma. I think that people will judge me for it, but I know that I am more than my anxiety. The people that love me don’t ignore any part of me, they celebrate every aspect, including the parts I tried so hard to erase. They have learned how to handle mental health issues and the effects. I’ve talked to friends, parents, and family about how anxiety makes me feel, and how to help. Even if it was hard, I’m proud to have made an impact on how people in my life see mental health. I hope to continue to raise awareness by just existing, which is one of the hardest things to do. Mental health is a lifelong battle, and nothing becomes perfect overnight. However, the one thing I could fix is my perspective. My mental illness doesn’t make me broken, it makes me strong. The people around me know that no matter what my brain tells me, I am strong, confident, and comfortable with the person I am.

I found an outlet for creativity through fashion design before I even understood what it was. Looking back, I remember all of my favorite activities were all based on the idea of creativity and expression. I have been using art as a tool of expression since I could hold a crayon. I have so many ideas and plans to take my childhood playtime activity to a lifelong career, and eventually make my mark on the world. One day, I know the impact of my art will be seen worldwide. I want to create clothes that are wearable and meaningful for the people who wear them. I see fashion as an art form for people to express themselves and feel good. Not only do I want people to feel good wearing the clothes, but I also want them to feel good buying them as well. I hope to design to raise awareness for certain social and world issues, and even use them to fundraise for organizations to help make an impact. Art has always worked hand in hand with social change and pushing the world forward, and I want to create garments for all people to wear and show awareness of causes that fall close to their hearts. I also want to help fight the issue of fast fashion. Fast fashion is contributing largely to climate change and polluting the planet at the second-highest rate, only behind oil. I want to help push the fashion industry toward a better way of working, both socially and environmentally. By having my clothes be produced ethically with well-paid workers and a small environmental impact, it can help with the shift in the industry. In order to accomplish my dream, I am going to need to start my own business, and I have no idea where to start. That is why I need to go to college and get my degree. With this scholarship, I hope to go to school and learn from people who know the cutthroat fashion industry in and out, and will teach me how to one day accomplish my goal. All I’ve ever wanted to do is make a difference, and I cannot wait to do so. I want to be a part of the change we see in society. We as people need to help push the world forward and help those in need, and not destroy this lovely planet we get the great privilege to call our home. I know the impact of my art will last long after I'm gone. Many people use art to express themselves, and that is something I am so excited to do with my designs. Art is not about what you can say outloud, but it’s what you can’t say with words, and I cannot wait until I can show the world that.

I found an outlet for creativity through fashion design before I even understood what it was. Looking back, I remember all of my favorite activities were all based on the idea of creativity and expression. I have been using art as a tool of expression since I could hold a crayon. I have so many ideas and plans to take my childhood playtime activity to a lifelong career, and eventually make my mark on the world. One day, I know the impact of my art will be seen worldwide. I want to create clothes that are wearable and meaningful for people to wear. I see fashion as an art form for people to express themselves and feel good. Not only do I want people to feel good wearing the clothes, but I also want them to feel good buying them as well. I hope to design to raise awareness for certain social and world issues, and even use them to fundraise for organizations to help make an impact. Art has always worked with social change in pushing the world forward, and I want to create garments for all people to wear and show awareness of causes that fall close to their hearts. I also want to help fight the issue of fast fashion. Fast fashion is contributing largely to climate change and polluting the planet at the second-highest rate, only behind oil. I want to help push the fashion industry toward a better way of working, both socially and environmentally. By having my clothes be produced ethically with well-paid workers and a small environmental impact, it can help with the shift in the industry. Some things need to be fixed, and I want to be a part of that change. We as people need to help push the world forward and help those in need, and not destroy this lovely planet we get the great privilege to call our home. It isn’t a matter of if my work and views should be seen, it’s that they need to be. I know the impact of my art will last long after I'm gone. Many people use art to express themselves, and that is something I am so excited to do with my designs, however, I am also going to express the feelings of people and things who may not be able to themselves. To me, art is not about what you say, but it’s what you can’t say with words.

I found an outlet in fashion design before I even understood what it was. Looking back, I remember all of my toys as a child were related to and creativity in fashion design. I have so many ideas and plans to take my childhood playtime activity to my career. Currently, I have found such an outlet for upcycling clothes. I take things like a men's button-up shirt and turn it into a fun skirt, or a band tee and combine it with a flannel to add more interest, or even making a ruffled tank top out of scraps from an old thrift store women’s shirt. Not only does this create a fun creative outlet when going out shopping for not just plain material, but it also helps in reusing items and limiting waste. Though that is one of my favorite things to do creatively, I am also currently working on a design collection inspired by an album from one of my favorite singers. I love the impact other artists have on current ones, which is why I prefer to draw my inspiration from music, films, or other art forms. This collection will feature 4 looks, all inspired by different songs, and I am beyond excited to say I am making the pattern myself. Looking to the future, I hope to never stop using my creativity to design and create, however, I hope to help others do the same. Art has provided an outlet for me to express myself and has shown me a whole new world of like-minded people to create a community. I hope to share all the things I love about the arts with other potential artists in the future. To do this, I hope to open my own shop selling not only my own designs but also theirs. I want to make sure everyone can have the same creative outlet that has helped me express and grow. The future's not set in stone, but I know wherever I am, I will be creating something. Art and design are so engraved into me, to not do it would be like destroying a part of who I am. I love all the projects I have completed, but what excites me the most are the projects I am yet to complete.

It was said by climate scientists that we have 9 years to eliminate carbon emissions before climate change becomes irreversible. I feel it is important to look at all issues regarding climate change and how we can fix them. As I talk to people about my dream and career, they are often ignorant of the issue I want to solve. Saying I want to make a difference in climate change with a fashion design degree often creates a puzzling expression on people's faces. It seems unknown to people that the fashion industry is the second largest polluting industry, only behind oil. We see the implications of fast fashion and how rooted they are in our society. People would rather pay 15 dollars for a pair of jeans instead of 60, however, most people don’t stop to think about why those jeans cost 15 dollars. With only a few Google searches they would find that they can get those clothes for so cheap because the company uses unethical labor practices, and contributes largely to climate change by creating large sums of pollution and large amounts of fabric waste. First, I would try to fix this issue by creating awareness, and I am currently doing that in my day-to-day life. After people can no longer turn a blind eye to it, we can begin to work together to create a solution. I would love to in the future be able to create a line made out of all recycled fabrics or to find a way to create more biodegradable fabrics. I have seen research in growing fabric (just like someone would grow a plant) that can easily decompose, to create less waste and landfill mass. I am so excited for the future of the fashion industry, and its role in reversing the negative effects of the climate crisis. Climate change cannot be fixed overnight, or by one person. All people in all industries need to look at their effect on the environment and what can be done to reverse the negative effect they may have had. I am so excited to create a change to help preserve this beautiful planet that I have had the privilege of inhabiting.

Population of 10,000. Total. That is the size of the town I am from. With the 80 kids I was surrounded by in kindergarten through 8th grade, I had to learn to be like them to fit the mold. My town and the people in it became so engraved into me, I lost who I was and became everyone else. I live in a small farm town community, full of people very different from the person I am. A majority of the town is made of white Christians from traditional families. This may seem like an odd observation, as a white girl who was raised by a traditional family and attended church every Sunday, but the person who was sitting in those pews wasn’t the same person I am now. I had to learn that was okay. I had a different perspective than most of the other people in my town. I never wanted to live in the middle of nowhere and go mudding, hunting, and fishing on the weekends. I didn’t want to do what I was "fun" or "cool" to them, so I felt out of place with the “In” crowd. I saw myself living in a big city, traveling, studying art, and singing along to music on rooftops. Everyone else seemed to see that as weird or crazy, which made me spend a lot of lunches alone. I had to unlearn so much I believed about my future. There are so many people who are like me out there, and just because they aren't in this town, doesn’t mean that they aren’t out there. I had to take the blinders off and see the world from a different view. There are people like you out there, even if they do not live within the 44.44 square miles of my town. Next year I am starting college, with new people in a new place. I will not be surrounded by the same gossiping lunch tables or church ladies whispering. I cannot wait to see what the next chapter of my life holds. Being a misfit ended up making my life so much better, because I got to learn what it is like to be yourself, and learned to leave the fear of judgment behind. I am so grateful to already know that. We all have such different aspects of ourselves that make us who we are, and yet, people, and sometimes even yourself, will try to keep you in a box of what you were “suppose” to be. Being yourself is never easy, especially when people are telling you that that isn’t who you should be, but I learned that it is the misfits who end up making history. One day I will make my own history, and the whispers traveling down the high school hallway will no longer even cross my mind.

In life there are things we are taught. Some are meaningful life lessons we are lucky enough to take with us through our entire lives, and some are inaccurate, and difficult to unlearn, and most just fall in between. I grew up being taught that the world was black and white. Someone does something wrong, they are a bad person, and someone does something right, they are a good person. Once someone falls into that category, they can’t get out of it. A person is who they are, that can’t change, and regret wasn’t a relevant factor. Regret is a normal human emotion, though I didn’t believe that for a long time. It was normal to slip up and make mistakes, and that doesn’t make you a bad person. My perspective on the world was narrowed, because I only saw the small portion of it that I lived in. Once I stepped out of the only place I’ve ever known, I saw the world not in black and white, but in bright, vibrant, screaming colors. When you only surround yourself with one type of person, you never see what the other types of people are like. Unintentionally, I started to surround myself with people from all different backgrounds, places, and lifestyles when I started hanging out with coworkers from work. Suddenly the world wasn’t as black and white as I once believed it to me. This group of friends were from all different social and economic backgrounds, with different outlooks on the world, some very different then the one I had. To me, they should have been bad people. They didn’t think the same way I did or see the world how I saw it. They had different beliefs and lifestyles, that weren’t normal to me. These people were not the same as I had or should have thought of them as. They were funny, kind, and caring. They listened to me and when we were all together I felt so much joy. All of a sudden, they were not bad people; they were my closest friends. They had never done anything wrong, just lived differently than me. I was able to put together that the world wasn’t black and white. Obviously there are still things that I consider wrong or bad, but there is more grey area then I ever could have considered. It took me so long to realize that just because someone considers something wrong or bad, it doesn’t mean everyone does, and that’s a good thing. These people continue to show me new things about the world everyday. Some of them ended up leaving for college or moving on to a new job, but I know any of them would drop everything to help me if I needed it. I know I always have people when I need them. I do still see some of them, in fact some of us video chat every Saturday night to catch up and share some new aspects of life we all learn. Everyone is forever learning, and that is the most important thing they taught me. Looking to the future, I know that I will continue to meet new people with different backgrounds. Especially at college, so many different and new people will come together sharing nothing but a new place and new way of life. I will get to learn from them, just as I have learned from my friends. I’m forever grateful for the lessons they taught me, because I was able to learn that differences are the thing that brings us together the most, and I can’t wait to experience college with that belief already learned. If everyone felt the same and saw the world the same life would be pretty boring. It took someone opening up my world to see that there are differences in it, and that doesn’t make one person bad or good, it makes us different, which in itself, is an amazing thing. That moment of realization was and still is so important to me, because it turned the world from a dull photo to a celebration of color, and I can not thank those people enough for teaching me that.

The counterculture of the 1960s-70s has always been fascinating to me. Certain elements of the hippie culture live on and continue to inspire. Fleetwood Mac gave us Rhiannon, who continues to inspire me everyday. I picture her as a free spirit, who will drop everything to drive across the country in a beat-up old bus, or stay up all night to watch the sunrise on the coast. Rhiannon inspires me everyday of my life, and if she were real and alive today, this is the playlist she would play on her road trips and drives to the crystal store.

There are things we know from a very young age. We know who our parents are, who our siblings are, the town we live in, and of course our favorite color. These are concepts we know before we know how to count to 20. My town became so engraved into me, and it was very different from the person I grew to be. I live in a small farm town community, full of people very different from the person I am. A majority of the town is made of white christians from traditional families. This may seem like an odd observation, as a white girl who was raised by a traditional family and attended church every Sunday, but the person who was sitting in those pews wasn’t the same person I am now. I had to learn that it was okay to outgrow things. It isn’t presented as “normal” to outgrow people or beliefs. A flower can grow and flourish and become too big for its pot and that is a tremendous moment, but if a person does it, whispers and rumors are created. That’s why I avoided doing it for so long. I fought so hard to try to fit in with the type of people I saw living here, even if I hated the person I was pretending to be. Eventually I discovered people outside of this corner of the woods. I found friends in a larger town about 50 minutes from my house who started to celebrate differences. They listened to me. I told them the things that I felt guilty for feeling, like my views on the world, on politics, on how I want to dress, on where I want to live, and the person I want to be one day. To them, it wasn’t something to look down on me for, it was something to celebrate. That was the first time I learned how amazing it is to be able to live your own life, not the one that was mapped out for you from birth, where you marry the kid 3 doors down at age 21, have 2 kids, work at the local school, and live in the same town your whole life. I learned it was okay to not want that path. We all have such different aspects of ourselves that make us who we are, and yet, people, and sometimes even yourself, will try to keep you in a box of what you were “meant” to be. It was so hard to break out of the things I believed and was taught for so long, and sometimes, the guilt still creeps back in, however, I know it’s okay to reject it. Self-love isn’t a destination, it’s an ever growing journey. It’s important to continue to grow with yourself, and there is no one I'm more excited to meet then the person I will become.

When I was younger, I remember seeing statues of a man in my grandma’s house. He wasn’t my Pop Pop, and while him and my uncle had matching beards, I was pretty confident in the fact it wasn’t him, so my little mind ran wild with the question: Who is he? In my 7 year old voice I asked my grandma who the man in the statues was, and she looked at me and said, “That is Jesus, and he is always watching over you, and keeping you safe.” Ya right, I thought for the next 5 years. I continued to go to church every week, listening to the priest and helping in the youth education after completing my own CCD courses, but it was never something I relied on for guidance and reassurance, just something I did. I knew God was active in my life, but I never learned how active. Religion is a leap of faith, and that was something I had to learn for myself. When I started middle school, I learned a real test of belief, not in God, but in myself. Middle school can be hard for anyone, but I experienced one of the hardest trials of my life. My friends, or who I thought were my friends, turned out to be to people bringing me down. They were hurting me more than I knew. Their words stung and I started to question why it is I was here. I couldn’t be in control anymore; I had to give God and Jesus the reigns. I needed help, so I turned to the place I questioned why I was at the most; the pews of my church. There I prayed and prayed and prayed. Every night, I would ask for guidance, and eventually, I found my path. I opened up to one of my friends about how I felt. She was the first person willing to sit and listen, and found a way to help make my life better. Now, I don’t see those 3 girls who inflicted so much pain and self doubt on me, because I asked Jesus for help removing them from my life, and he did. He found a way to help guide me toward the good, and remove the bad, and I will never stop being grateful to him for that. The person who helped guide me out of the shadows of sadness into the light is still active in my life, and in fact, I carpool with her to school everyday. And the girl who made me feel worthless, I haven’t seen her since the start of high school. Trusting in God and Jesus to guide you is not always the easiest path, but it will lead you to the best one, and that’s the real lesson those girls taught me.