With all due respect to the other incredible teachers that have gotten me to where I am today, I genuinely believe that I can never thank my junior and senior-year U.S. history teacher enough for creating the environment and system she did. She allowed me, as her student, to grow into someone unrecognizable from beginning to end merely through the strength of her teaching methods and the gentleness of the class, changing the perspective of my own life. This teacher formed an environment so uniquely herself through her teaching methods that everyone in the class felt as though they could also be themselves. This meant that her students could create respectful relationships with each other and have conversations that were considerably more difficult to have outside of the classroom. Knowing that this was a U.S. history class full of diversity, the subjects she taught required honesty & sensibility. She understood and respected those boundaries to the point where no one ever questioned what she taught, but instead went in with more open-mindedness than I have seen from a class of thirty-something individuals. Her methods were so vulnerable, understanding, & simultaneously undemanding to the point that I felt like I could finally retain the one subject that has always proven difficult for me personally to get into. One method, in particular, were these “roundtable” discussions, which are essentially a looser and less formal term for Socratic Seminars. In these sermons, we were all given a choice of whether or not we wanted to participate in the discussion or observe from the outside. With these discussions, any open-ended question relating to the recent material could be asked, just as long as it wasn’t offensive or cruel. This not only displayed the faith & trust she had in us but also allowed us to talk to each other one on one about subjects that could and would have been controversial outside of the classroom. For me, this encouraged a feeling of connection and trust within my community through the sense of purpose she helped gratify. I never doubted that her intention with us was to leave us better than we started, and I can confidently say she did just that. Ironically, this teacher also helped me realize that politics & government may actually be something I would want to major in. History has never been one of my best subjects because of how previous teachers have taught it: read, memorize, test. For her, this class was so much more than that. She put emotion into her lessons without bias while embedding her wit and humor to keep the class lively. One moment I specifically remember was a recent lecture on police brutality toward the black community. This lesson consisted of particularly explicit videos and explanations before and after the video. She specified that we did not have to watch, we could leave at any time, and if we needed to, we could freely cry. All of this went without question from her or our peers when what we were watching genuinely gave life to her lessons from the whole year. She had told us that other history teachers opted out of doing so for fear that their students were not mature enough for this. The amount of trust and vulnerability from that moment on is genuinely something I have never felt in another classroom, and honestly, I never thought that I would have. I am beyond thankful & honored to have had her as my teacher, and I hope only the best for her and her career, wherever that may be.

Today's day in age strikes up numerous arguments over trivial and significant situations that typically never gain a solution, but rather a more moral way of thinking or acting. From women's rights to mental health, to even the LGBTQ+ community, not all of us can agree on how to properly react or influence due to our own beliefs. When we all have different ways of educating and communicating, understanding another can oftentimes prove difficult when we want positive change to happen. With that being said, as someone who is surrounded by those with various mental illnesses, I've had to learn how to adapt their illness to my life. Ranging from family members to friends, the people I surround myself with more or less have a type of mental illness. For that reason, one of the best lessons I have ever been taught has been to always keep myself in their shoes when someone is communicating or acting. When it comes to mental health, not everyone has the capacity to understand another's mental illness due to how complicated it can be. Therefore, a bare minimum I have adapted is to always make sure that I see from their perspective as to why one said or did something that could have warranted poor reactions. It's allowing myself to reason out actions or sentences when they might have been hurtful, off-putting, or even weird due to one's mental illness. So while I might not be able to completely understand, I can at least try to see from their point of view. This has allowed the people I interact with to feel more understood, heard, and seen all because I've allowed my perspective of communication to shift to become more fluid, creating stronger bonds and relationships with the people I love the most.

In my 17 years, I've grown to understand the importance of understanding how the world we live in revolves around money. While that may sound rather pessimistic, to create a solid foundation in this life, we cannot dismiss the significance of knowing how finance works. With that being said, I have made some poor decisions with money. While I don't regret making the mistake, I am grateful to have made them in controlled environments where I can confidently say that they did not harm myself or those around me. One lesson in particular was the time where I impulsively decided that I just had to have these red and black Air Jordan 1's, an overpriced pair of sneakers. At the time, I spent about a week hunting for the pair. Now, I understand that impulsive decision making and spending a week looking for these shoes can easily imply that my decision wasn't impulsive, but at the time, all I cared about was finding a pair that would satisfy this need. Within that week, I would occasionally sit back and contemplate why I was so keen on spending $200-300 on shoes that I only now decided I wanted. I shrugged it off, convincing myself that I was just overthinking this situation and that I would stop once I got to wear the shoes. Fast forward, I bought the shoes, dropped nearly $230 on them, and wore them three times maximum. I never actively reached for them because I realized that I very literally had no need for these shoes. In that moment, I learned that it is absolutely vital to think purchases through, especially when I could have purchased $230 worth of food for my family instead. Today, I know better than to allow impulse to get the best of me.

As much as I try to convince myself, feeling brave and acting upon it can prove beyond stressful with the anxieties that often affect my daily life. Personally, that means I struggle with voicing my needs and wants no matter the occasion or severity. So when I succeed in doing so, it is a reminder that we must celebrate the small victories. It is essential to understand that trivial victories cannot be shrugged aside when they have valiantly gotten me from point A to point B, even when it felt like I was going nowhere. Such acts of bravery & boldness have contributed life lessons on how to pursue a life I can say I am proud of. It is knowing myself well enough to dissect my brain into understanding that going to a store, complimenting a stranger, or wearing a certain outfit is not going to hurt anyone but myself, should I avoid doing such. In that case, I know now that it will not allow me to grow, but rather stay put at most. When one is not going forward, they are merely going backwards, and that is not the type of "bold bravery" life I wish to create for myself. As someone who has gotten past numerous trials and tribulations, I remind myself consistently that I am the one in charge of my life. No one but myself is responsible for the experiences and opportunities I chase. That means when I am feeling particularly upset, I let myself feel my emotions. When I make a mistake, I own up to my actions. When I need someone or something, I voice it. It may not be as “bold” or “brave” to another, but for me, pursuing such a conscious lifestyle has forever changed my perspective of life.

“I am not afraid that you will hurt me. If you do, the scars won't last for eternity. People hurt each other all the time. Especially when they care for each other.” That is but a glimpse into the wondrous friendship between two teenage boys based in the novel, "Because You'll Never Meet Me" by Leah Thomas. This novel has easily taken my heart from the way Thomas so effortlessly expresses the bond between two young men through a Pen Pal relationship meant to guide either person out of their depressive slumps. With personalities that butt heads so deeply, they learn to grow and thrive from their friendship, adapting new mindsets and skills that guide both boys into the hardships of their daily lives. That is, as they progress into their letters, they soon find that both of these individuals suffer from fictitious allergies that cause them to be allergic to each other, preventing them from ever being able to meet. This ultimately causes these young men to feel scared, knowing that their relationship is becoming fruitful; that this bond is once in a lifetime. Now, I don't mean to spoil this novel, but they do in fact meet. It may happen in the second book to this series, but this novel alone shows that love overcomes all no matter the pain, complications, or ordeals that come along. It proves that we cannot be bound by what we think is our full extents, when there is so much more to what makes you, you. No matter how uncomfortable in the moment it may be, this book teaches young people like myself that it is okay to feel that way, that those feelings are vital, yet temporary - that pain will not last forever, nor define who we strive to be.