I come from a family of seven, and I am incredibly grateful to have them as a support system. My decision to pursue higher education was extremely difficult, as I knew the finances would be fully under my name, and at the time, I was a student-athlete and had the opportunity to focus on my sports and school without working until the end of my junior year in high school. As much as my parents wished they could help me with college expenses, the financial hardship risks weren't something they were able to take with the rest of my family and their needs in mind. I began working two jobs during the summer and applied to as many scholarships as possible in my free time. There have been scholarships for which I made it to the final round but just fell short. These incidents weighed heavily on me. As proud as I was of myself for trying hard, it seemed like everything just wasn't up to others' standards, which created a minor setback for my mentality going forward during the summer. I remembered that it was not an option for me to stop applying if graduating from university was that important of a goal for me to achieve, so I enrolled in a scholarship focus group to learn how to better my chances. The coaches in the group were so motivating and taught me how important having multiple support groups through these life milestones I am passing through. All their shared knowledge has helped me earn a scholarship that helped pay for the first term of my college, inspiring me to continue pushing myself to write and work more. Affording my college education has become a large goal for me. With some of my siblings on track to graduate high school this year and looking to make their education decisions, I want to be able to show them that we can go to college if we work hard enough for it. For anyone who is struggling to motivate themselves for scholarships or to continue working because, at the moment, it doesn't seem to be 'doing much," I want to encourage them to apply to one more essay because sometimes that will be the lucky one. Having the mindset and work ethic to continue working towards a difficult or seemingly mundane task proves to yourself and others just how capable you are.

I remember learning how to ‘break down’ words to understand their meanings at a young age. When I see empowerment, the prefix ‘em’ draws my attention the most. It means ‘to cause’ or ‘put into.’ By focusing on this prefix, empowerment develops into a concept (to me, at least) of being self-supportive and driven to reach goals while also embracing the support of others. I think it is important to remember that while empowerment is largely based on dedicating your own time and energy to yourself, it is just as important to accept support from others. This builds a stronger foundation on which to keep growing. Many people have empowered me in my life, including but not limited to my parents, coaches, teachers, and friends. They have empowered me to make decisions that will carry me forward, to challenge myself, and encourage me to become the best version of myself. With their support and advice, I was able to overcome the low moments that I struggled through. They have also empowered me to take advantage of all the opportunities that are available. The positivity that all of my supporters surrounded me has translated into how I support and empower others. Just as I have worked to improve myself, I also empower others to do their best. I have four younger siblings, all of whom are talented athletes. A small side story, but I played with a boys’ soccer team growing up. The boys had always seemed stronger and faster, but I never let that stop me from playing just as hard. Eventually, I earned my place as a starter because of my work ethic and determination. My choice to take practice seriously boosted my endurance and strength on the field. Being an athlete comes with its challenges: the pressure of competition, practicing hard to prepare for challenges, and sometimes the mental game is half of any competition. I have always encouraged my siblings with positive affirmations and passed down what my dad had taught me: strive to change the culture for the better. In many cases, showing up and working hard is all you need to do, and that to empower others empowers you. When my sister began playing soccer, everyone noticed she was smaller. She was always underestimated, and at times, she felt upset that she was overlooked. I empathized with her and told her that putting in the work at practice would pay off and that (as cliche as it may sound) she just needed to believe in herself to become the player who could not be ignored. While I cannot take any credit for her success, as now she is one of her high school team starters; I like to believe that our little pep talks and my cheerleading were a foundation she continued to build on. It is at moments like these that I realize that being empowered and empowering others has such a positive impact on everyone’s lives. I want to devote myself to always trying to empower others whenever the opportunity arises.

My academics have always been important to me. Sometimes, I measure how long it has been important from the first time I fell in love with books. Others ( a slightly darker way to measure) when I first stressed about an assignment. While I love learning new subjects, I have also associated learning with stress. I’ve heard from many people that stressing about such things showed how much I cared, and that can be true to an extent. Stress isn’t all that bad when it comes to serving the extra adrenaline to finish up assignments. Still, it does become draining after its extended presence, which can sensitize my anxieties. This makes it more challenging for me to focus on a single subject, and I feel the need to multitask often, other times it has held me back from stepping out of my comfort zone. In many cases, I turn to my athletics, journals, and my violin for an outlet. The benefit of finding outlets for my stress and anxieties is that I find ways to pick up new skills and hobbies! A whole other world of learning! Running and skiing have been my physical stress relievers. When I push my physical limits, I find that I prove to myself that I can do the same in classes. I can leave everything on the road or mountain and reset myself for the coming days. Having active hobbies has made my family closer over the years, as shared memories and experiences tend to do. In my family, my parents acknowledge people can have anxiety and that it affects mental health, although conversations about mental health in our family have never been our strong suit. I feel as if I would bother my parents if I told them how often I would get anxiety attacks, and so I try to keep it on the low. I am open about them to my sister, who I am extremely close to and grateful for because she has some anxieties as well. I support her as much as possible, and we have become each other’s biggest cheerleaders. It’s a sweet sentiment that I hope never to lose. I am constantly working to ease my anxieties and stress by balancing my time for my hobbies, and I have begun to talk with my mom about mental health a little bit more. Confiding in one more person and becoming a supporter of someone’s mental health can make a big difference in shining a light on mental health talks.

Striving to be a well-rounded human being is one of my forever life goals. I desire to be a more knowledgeable, more active, easy-going, lifelong learner, and overall life-loving person. I’m already halfway there, and I can say this by looking back on all the minor and more celebratory victories I’ve achieved up to this day. From reading countless books in my free time to being an international baccalaureate student to becoming a swim instructor, all of these moments have changed my perspectives in life. How I’ve viewed my victories has especially evolved over the four years of my high school career. If I were asked to define victory anytime before high school, my definition would be “being first, second or third,” or “getting straight As.” It would be receiving recognition for being one of ‘the’ best. Some might accept my answer, but I find it forgets to celebrate victories that aren’t necessarily titled with placements or grades. Celebrating any achievements in life is important... and fun! I have refined my definition of victory by adding how my actions highlight the different physical, academic, social, and mental journeys I have taken to get to where I am today. While some of my favorite victories have been running and placing in invitational and district championships, I have loved my smaller victories of becoming a teammate who can help other athletes on their journeys and improving my self-esteem in competitions. I have come a long way, transforming stress and anxieties into excitement and positive vibes (thanks to my family and friends, coaches and mentors, and Vex King’s books!) Some milestones I am excited to achieve include my high school graduation! I want to continue pursuing a higher education and succeed in the new chapter I am so close to diving into. While my list to succeed in college begins with graduating on time, I need to support myself through this time - which will be difficult. I plan to work in addition to being a full-time student and active community member. The little victories I can control right now are saving up, keeping my grades up, and keeping my head up when applying for support from scholarships and grants. I come from a large family of seven, and as much as my parents would love to help me, financing college will have to be solely my responsibility; co-signing loans would be extremely challenging, and I am trying to avoid such a route. Any support from scholarship founders would be a significant blessing to me; it would cover so many expenses, boost my confidence in the future, and help me apply myself to pursue greater opportunities. It would be like having cheerleaders on the sideline to whom each individual I would be eternally grateful. Not only would it help relax a part of the financial struggle of my collegiate aspirations, but it would also allow me to take advantage of the different resources with additional costs that can help me grow into a more well-rounded person. :)

I am currently a high school senior and an International Baccalaureate candidate. As a part of the IB program, I have learned to become a driven, open-minded, and persevering individual. Balancing school, work, athletics, and volunteering has been a large part of my life, and I continue to pick up hobbies so I can become a more well-rounded individual. My collegiate aspirations are to attend a university to obtain a business degree before studying law. Over the past summers, I had the opportunity to shadow a local attorney; with her, I volunteered at court dockets and experienced the direct impact that the judicial system had on the attending individuals. One case that particularly struck me was a family law case: a woman was trying to separate from her husband and was having difficulty sorting through paperwork as she had a language barrier. The attorney whom I was shadowing printed the needed forms for her in her spoken language, which I helped her fill out. After helping her through the documents, she smiled and thanked the attorney and me. Something about her smile warmed me instantly, and I went home wanting to help more people, at the possibility that the gratitude I received could happen again. This inspired my desire to study law so that I might have more opportunities to impact the lives of others positively. With a career as an attorney, I want to bring justice to my community and show compassion to those experiencing difficult points in their lives, and through family law, I can be a part of others’ celebratory moments. I aspire to be like the women who have helped encourage me to seek a degree in law: the attorney I shadowed and the judge and commissioner who enlightened me with how her career fulfills her, knowing she has helped so many people. Not only do I want to seek a career as an attorney to support different parties and cases, but I also want to be that woman who motivates those around me to achieve goals and aspirations similar to mine. While not an impact on the entire world, I want to achieve my goals and inspire my family- especially my six younger siblings. I’ll be the first to go to college, and I want to prove to each one of them that such goals are achievable. Motivating them with words of encouragement and support can help them work for their future goals; however, I also want to show them through example to reinforce that all these aspirations are attainable.

In the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, calculus proves its importance by existing as its foundation. Calculus is considered the branch of mathematics that is heavily involved with measuring and answering the question of how things change. By relating calculus to the complexities of change, it can be further associated with each of the STEM fields. The first images that come to mind when thinking of science courses, such as biology, are of ecosystems and organism anatomy; calculus involvement is overlooked by many. Calculus's appearance in science classes, varying from biology to physics, allows individuals to hypothesize the growth of ecosystem populations and explain the complex ideas of movement and matter ranging from ordinary objects to the infinite area of space. An online course creator, Vaia, explains that calculus allows scientists to "explain our physical world" and helps satisfy our natural curiosities. Combining science and technology, computer science uses a few types of calculus to measure the rates of change and serves as a core to the developments and advancements of technology. Programming algorithms for software routines are based on calculus with some modifications. Eugene Eberbach, a professor of computer science, notes that algorithms "predicate calculus used in logic programming" and claims that such a science elaborates on calculus, using "three and not two values." Without calculus, scientific theories and evolving research would lack in explaining how and why elements change, making them incoherent. Known as the "backbone of engineering," calculus emphasizes its importance in STEM. Engineering requires precision in calculations to ensure the safety of structures to biological innovations. Calculus formulas and calculus-derived programs create systems that improve confidence in the accuracy of modeling and construction processes and help engineers predict physical phenomena and how their designs will hold in real-world circumstances. The close tie of engineers to everyday sights and objects we use all derived from calculus. The field of mathematics is vast; calculus is considered to be the most advanced branch. Beginning with the simple math we learned in elementary school and progressing to high school-level math, all of those 'added up' to help us through calculus and better understand other subjects over the years. Calculus is crucial to STEM fields; not only does it underly the studies and developing designs, but it is also the foundation for the cycle of possibilities that calculus lays out for us, which will only encourage future generations to build and value the growing knowledge we have in STEM fields. Because calculus is seen or hidden in so many ways that actively affect our lives, its importance is undeniable.

Driving to my dream home in the pacific northwest of the United States, I envision passing by a crystal clear lake that isn’t more than a ten-minute ride to a long smooth driveway wide enough to park a travel trailer on the side of the house, cleanly bordered by lush green grass. Getting out of the car, the rustic ranch-style home appears to be a single story, only to be surprised after a full tour that it has two levels because it is built into the side of a hill. The porch is spacious, with two beams, darkly stained, supporting the peaked roof over the entrance. Turning the smooth, matte black doorknob of one of the light blue Victorian doors, I would open the house to walk on a woven light blue, white, and navy rug that covers the rectangular entrance with a mudroom on the right and a half bath to the left. Continuing down a hallway on the left, a single step led into the living room. When turning into the living room, The step down made the ceiling feel much higher. Looking up, track lights point towards the wall parallel to the hallway, which holds a collection of canvases that make up a vibrant painting of alleys in Rome, Italy. The left wall is a light cream color, built in, an electric fireplace stretching as wide as 8 feet. A few floating shelves above the fireplace hold decorative clay vases and bowls. Turning away from the fireplace and taking a seat on the Italian brown leather couch, I can see a landscape, partially of the backyard, the other of a mountain in the distance, surrounded by the distant evergreen forest. It’s breathtaking, and anyone that views it could be convinced it’s paradise. Walking out of the living room and around the large white and cream-toned porcelain island, outlined by the arch on the opposite side of the kitchen, which is only slightly smaller than the living room. Filled with stainless steel appliances, and white cabinets with handles that are miniature versions of the house doorknob, there is a tall cabinet beside a thin door leading into a walk-in pantry. It would be overlooked if it didn’t have a little chalkboard sticker labeling it.Through the earlier seen arch is a dining room. A lengthy table fits ever so perfectly, with a bench on one side and chairs on every other side. Looking from the arch to the left, the continued view of the mountain through large windows allows more light to shine through the house. Back to the main hallway, there is a slight continuance past the living room and kitchen, leading to a stairway downstairs. Each step has an LED light strip, illuminating the path. At the last step is a window to the left, with a ledge decorated by pillows, transforming it into the perfect place to read in natural light. A ceiling-to-floor bookshelf is filled with a few decorative objects and plants on every other shelf to create an illusion of space. A door amid the books leads to a master bedroom with large windows, fully furnished. The opposite side of the second floor leads to two more bedrooms. The room connecting all the rooms is more impressive, with games on the sides of a large curved screen in front of a couch. Perfect for hosting game nights and movie nights, the home is my dream house to live in and host guests in.