I was born to two teenagers not yet out of high school who never got to fully mature. As such, a lot of my raising fell onto myself. Growing up, I had no one I felt I could look up to, so all my questions went unasked. By the time I finally made it to high school, I had little relationship with my mom. The summer after my junior year, I ran away from my dad's to start life on my own. Now, even though I never had anyone to rely on before, I was truly on my own. As I went into my senior year and began to truly prepare for college, I thought a lot about what I wanted to make of my life. Ultimately, I decided I just wanted to do better than my parents had done. As a first-generation student, I had a lot of bumps along the road at the beginning. At first, I couldn't decide what I wanted to do. The unknowningness of how I would now if I picked the right field weighed heavily on me. I was also worried about sourcing the funds on my own; however, in spite of these things I have set a plan in place to start earning my degree. I want to prove to my parents that I can outperform them without them by my side. My life has left me with a strong sense of independence. As such, I am pursuing the field of business with the hops of owning and franchising a restaurant one day. I am choosing to not late the obstacles laid before me stand in my way. Instead, I will triumph despite my barrier of being first generation and without my parents. I am confident my abilities and desire for lifelong learning will carry me through my degree with ease.

At the young age of 15, I started my first job at a local Culver's franchise one town over at the guidance of a classmate. That classmate, who turned out to be my manager, was my ride to work for over a year. In that time, I learned a lot about the business and developed a passion for my job and what our company stood for. Because of my status as a minor, during the school year, I had to be off at 7:00 every night. After I got off, I would sit out in our dining area doing schoolwork while observing the guests and my coworkers. After some time, I was promoted to a trainer position and was able to take a more active role in the development of the team. During that time, I greatly strengthened my abilities as a leader. I got to be a role model to my peers while doing a job I was enthusiastic about. I continued happily in my position for nearly three years before moving states to live with my boyfriend. Upon moving, I transferred to a new location. Shortly after starting, I was promoted to a Shift Manager position and started to truly consider this as a career path for me. After my promotion, I became more involved with the preparation of food in our restaurant and learned that I love to cook. One of the most satisfying parts of my job is pressing out a perfectly round beef puck and flipping it once it has achieved the perfect sear. In addition to this, I also manage a fryer station, dress breads and buns, assemble dinners, and prepare fresh frozen custard. I love to serve quality products and unparalleled hospitality to my guests. As I continued in my management role, I started to realize I could see myself doing this for the rest of my life. A few months in my role led to me being promoted once more to an Assistant Manager. Since then, I have embraced the more business aspects of the job like managing food cost, preparing deposits, and ordering and counting inventory. With all the things I continue to learn, my passion for the job increases exponentially along with it. To better prepare me for advancement in this field, I am pursuing a business management degree with an additional focus on accounting. In tandem with my formal education, I will also be receiving training from my Regional Manager. I am one of three people being considered for a General Manager position next May. If I am chosen for that job, I will continue to develop the skills needed to take over as Regional Manager, which is my ultimate career goal. Culver's has been there for me through the toughest time of my life. I hope that I can continue my time with the company at an even more professional level so I can continue to serve smiles and quality ButterBurgers and fresh frozen custard to guests with the utmost hospitality. Continuing to pursue this job further with allow me to have a career I love. I have spent a long time trying to decide what to do with my life, and I have finally found it.

Nearly four years ago, I started my first job at 15. One town over, riding with a classmate, I worked as a cashier at a Culver's. Instantly, I fell in love with the atmosphere. I worked my way through the positions up front and was promoted to a trainer. I held that title for two years before transfering to a location in a new city. Upon moving here, I was trained in the kitchen and quickly promoted to Shift Manager in just a few months. Four months ago, I moved up to Assistant Manager. Now I play a large role in running the business, and I still love it as much as I did in the beginning. Culver's is where I learned everything I know about food handling. I learned how to safely clean and maintain work areas properly as well as how to prepare and hold food safetly. During my time with them, I have earned my ServSafe certification as an accreditation of such. In addition to this, I learned to dress breads, prepare salads, and work grill and fryer stations. The more I learned, the more I fell in love with the restaurant buisness. I love to prepare quality food while providing excellent hospitality to my guests, so pursuing Culver's further feels like a natural next step. As luck would have it, there is a General Manager position opening up, and my higher ups have me as one of three women across our locations in training to potentially take it over next May. I have a great potential to make a career out of my passion for the only job I've ever done, so I am ceasing that opportunity. As I start schooling, I am focusing on the field of buisness as I want to be prepared to own and operate my own store one day. In doing so, I would gain a stronger standing with community involvement by taking up more fundraising opportunities. With this scholarship, I could afford the cost of my books for the semester or the tuition for one class. This would work to alleviate the financial burden I have from running away from home during high school. I have been living on my own for a while, and the cost of my education falls soley onto my shoulders. With this award, I can work toward my dreams of running my own restaurant with a little less stress on my shoulders.

For most of my life, I tried to live as though I wasn't affected by my past, but I now understand this far from true. Everything I have endured during my 19 years on this earth has made me who I am today. Whether I like it or not, I cannot change my past; however, I do have control of how it impacts my future. I was born to two teenagers not yet out of high school. My birth played a role in them never fully growing up. For all of my childhood, I bore the weight of my parents' incompetence. I became and emotional crutch for them - a built in therapist. Neither of them played an active role in raising me. As such, I became deeply independent at a young age. I felt I had no one to rely on, so I learned to do everything myself. As I aged, I even became financially independent. Quickly, I came to see how difficult it is to handle the weight of the world on your own (especially with a childhood like mine). My mom has battled with a drug addiction on and off for as long as I can remember. She partied so much when I was little, she used to give me some of her prescription medications to make sure I stayed asleep the whole night. I watched her use for years on end and it damaged how I saw her. Additionally, as I grew up and became a big sister to her other kids, a lot of the responsibilities of taking care of them fell onto me when I was around. Because of my relationship with my mom and the work I had to do to care for her kids at such a young age, I no longer want children of my own. While she has been sober for a few years, we have minimal contact because of the damage she did to me. My relationship with my father was good when I was young, but as I aged it declined rapidly. In high school, I grew to resent him when I had to work full-time to support our household of seven after he lost his job. He somehow was blind to the weight on my shoulders and how depressed the stress was making me. Eventually, after thousands drained and countless hours at work despite keeping a complete courseload, I ran away from home the summer before my senior year. Going out on my own has strengthened my independence ten fold, and created even more of a rift between my parents and I. As I start school, I am aiming to prove to myself I can do it without them. I work hard everyday because that's all I've known. Nothing I have did I not work for. I have gone far in life with little guidance from them, so I know I can accomplish this on my own too. With my degree in buisness, I hope to continue to progress in my current job as an Assistant Manager at a local Culver's franchise. I get to participate in a great business providing hospitality and excellent food to our guests. Additionally, we give back to the community through organizing donations and fundraising events. I would love to persue the industry further as an Operations Manager or a franchisee. Pursuing this as a career would allow me to give someone the same opportunity Culver's gave me to advance my life. It supported me through leaving home and has quickly become my careerpath.

Daily, I still face the challenge of having no desire to get out of bed and start my day. Sometimes, my depression feels all-encompassing. The way it bleeds into every aspect of my life has a particular way of making me feel like nothing I do will ever be enough. I have battled with this level of depression for almost as much of my life as I can remember. Around the age of 12, I was formally diagnosed with Depression, Bipolar Disorder (an inheritance from my mother, perhaps one of the only things she will leave me when she's gone), and Anxiety Disorder. Next, after my first hospitalization for suicidal ideations during 7th grade, I was diagnosed with C-PTSD for all the trauma I endured before even graduating middle school. Medications were taken and therapy sessions were held, and so began what I consider the true battle with my mental health. In the beginning of my life, I was able to mostly ignore how the events happening to and around me were affecting me. Better yet, oftentimes I did not even comprehend that these events were altering my psyche in any way at all. My youth came with a level of naivety; despite how often I was complimented for my maturity as a child, I did not realize the weight of the world I was being subjected to. After I started opening up more about everything I had been through, the reality of what I had endured as a prepubescent girl began to set in rapidly. As I talked about the events - like my mother feeding me prescription medication so she could go party when I was a toddler, or my step-brother sexually assaulting me for over half a decade - I began to slip in school as the reality of these traumas weighed me down. While not bad, my 8th-grade year set a record for the worst grades I had had and started a general downward trend because of the weight of my mental health. During my time in high school, I found I way to still excel fairly well in spite of my circumstances. I was hospitalized twice more for losing the desire to live. At the end of my junior year, I ran away from home due to neglect. I still graduated a semester early in the top 15% of my class (even though I failed most of my classes in my last semester). Since leaving home, I have had an increasingly harder time coming to terms with my life and my health the way it is, but I am learning every day to better rely on those around me. Just over two years post-runaway, I am living over 100 miles from all the people in my life who have hurt me most, and I finally feel ready to start prioritizing my health so I can start school again. Over the last few months, I have set up my insurance so I can better manage my mental health. I have found a new therapist where I'm living, and we are setting goals for my treatment that are making me feel optimistic about where I want to take my life personally. In addition to my therapist, I also have my boyfriend as an amazing source of support. He helps me ensure I am keeping up with my medications and encourages me to rely on him for anything I could need. With this support system, I am enrolled to start classes towards my business degree online while I work full-time to continue to support myself.

Just over two years ago, I walked out of my dad's life. At the time, I had been working full-time, sometimes even working overtime, during my junior year of high school. My dad had lost his job, so the heavy burden of supporting my family fell onto my shoulders. After we received notice of our eviction and he borrowed thousands from me to pay our bills, on top of the neglect I was experiencing at home, I decided to run away and start my life on my own. My high school deemed me an unaccompanied youth. I finished earning my diploma without a permanent residence. About a year ago, I moved out to the Quad Cities to live with my boyfriend. I transferred to a local Culver's location (a job I held for nearly three years before moving). Because of my natural leadership and extensive industry experience, I was quickly promoted to Shift Manager, then shortly afterward to Assistant Manager. Now, alongside my coursework to earn a business professional degree, I am training with my Regional Manager to potentially take over a General Manager position next spring—a significant step in my career, as I aim to eventually become a franchisee or take over for her as our district overseer. This scholarship would greatly help in managing the financial responsibilities of earning my degree. I plan to use this award directly for my tuition. With it, I could cover the full cost of two classes, which marks a significant stride toward earning my degree. Due to my strained relationship with my parents, I will receive no support from them in this pursuit. Therefore, I am entirely responsible for covering all costs. This scholarship would alleviate a portion of the financial burden I face and reduce my current stress.

At the young age of 15, I started my first job at a local Culver's franchise one town over, at the guidance of a classmate. That classmate, who turned out to be my manager, was my ride to work for over a year. In that time, I learned a lot about the business and developed a passion for my job and what our company stood for. Because of my status as a minor, during the school year, I had to be off at 7:00 every night. After I got off, I would sit out in our dining area doing schoolwork while observing the guests and my coworkers. After some time, I was promoted to a trainer position and was able to take a more active role in the development of the team. During that time, I greatly strengthened my abilities as a leader. I got to be a role model to my peers while doing a job I was enthusiastic about. I continued happily in my position for nearly three years before moving states to live with my boyfriend. Upon moving, I transferred to a new location. Shortly after starting, I was promoted to a Shift Manager position and started to truly consider this as a career path for me. After my promotion, I became more involved with the preparation of food in our restaurant and learned that I love to cook. One of the most satisfying parts of my job is pressing out a perfectly round beef puck and flipping it once it has achieved the perfect sear. In addition to this, I also manage a fryer station, dress breads and buns, assemble dinners, and prepare fresh frozen custard. I love to serve quality products and unparalleled hospitality to my guests. As I continued in my management role, I started to realize I could see myself doing this for the rest of my life. A few months in my role led to me being promoted once more to an Assistant Manager. Since then, I have embraced the more business aspects of the job like managing food cost, preparing deposits, and ordering and counting inventory. With all the things I continue to learn, my passion for the job increases exponentially along with it. To better prepare me for advancement in this field, I am pursuing a business management degree with an additional focus on accounting. In addition to my formal education, I will also be receiving training from my Regional Manager. I am one of three people being considered for a General Manager position next May. If I am chosen for that job, I will continue to develop the skills needed to take over as Regional Manager, which is my ultimate career goal. Culver's has been there for me through the toughest time of my life. I hope that I can continue my time with the company at an even more professional level so I can continue to serve smiles and quality ButterBurgers and fresh frozen custard to guests with the utmost hospitality.

Daily, I am plagued by the severity of the impact my mental health has had on my life. Nearly a decade ago (in March of 2018, when I was just twelve years old), I talked to my doctor about how little joy I had in life. It was the first time I said it to anyone - even myself. Shortly after I turned 13, I would go on to receive depressive disorder and major anxiety disorder diagnoses with strong recommendations to pursue therapy. While this is not what I consider to be the start of my mental health journey, it is when people in my life started to truly begin to understand why I am the way I am. Oftentimes, when I see a new doctor or therapist and they ask how long I have felt the way I do now, fighting to feel the days are worth it, I try to explain to them that it has been concurrent with the entire memorable part of my life. As young as five, I remember crying desperately in my bed each night for my imprisoned drug addict mother who subjected me to her using. I dressed for kindergarten having already learned to fake my smile. I began experiencing sexual abuse at the hands of my older step-brother shortly after starting school. I did not understand what was happening to me when he snuck into my room at night, but I knew it made me feel dirty. Because I was ignorant that what was happening was wrong, it proceeded for years as we grew up. Devastatingly, all the screaming flashing signs that I was being abused were ignored by my dad. My underwear would be found stuffed in places around the house where I did not leave them, yet no alarms were raised. On a dark and lonely night, six years before I was provided professional help, I pleaded for my life to end for the first time as I felt a too familiar and sickeningly warm embrace of my brother for a span of hours while everyone in the house slept. I was six years old. What was unbeknownst to me was that the many instances of neglect and abuse I experienced while in my prepubescent years, particularly those earliest in childhood, caused the development of cPTSD - a diagnosis I was given as a young teen. Additionally, I would go on to inherit my mother's Bipolar I. As I've moved through life trying to battle my disabilities, I have tried dozens of medications and therapists, but I still struggle almost daily. To date, I have been institutionalized four separate times for severe depression and suicidal ideation with my most recent release being less than three weeks ago. I am often overwhelmed by the pressure put on me by my own mind. Balancing the lows and highs of my mental health while having to work particularly hard to support myself without my parents has made me incredibly resilient. Each time I reach that low point of not wanting to continue to live, I have tried to take time to seriously evaluate my life. A big part of that has come down to who I want to be involved with. When I talk about the atrocious nature of my childhood, people are appalled. To preserve my mental health, I have chosen to almost entirely cut my parents out of my life. I see them for major holidays so I can see my many siblings; however, outside of that, I don't see them at all. In place of them, I surround myself with people who uplift me. I am trying to form stronger connections with the people in my life I know I can count on for anything. In particular, I have found the man I know I will marry who keeps me going. He is incredibly patient with me as I continue to learn to manage my mental health and is there to support me every step of the way. I rely on him heavily which has been hard to learn to do because I never truly felt I had someone to rely on before him. Because of my mental health, I often feel I do not have enough to offer. No matter how much I accomplish, I never feel satisfied with my achievements. As such, I have struggled a lot with setting goals. Slowly, I am trying to learn to set more achievable goals. Last fall, I failed at starting college because of an overwhelming depressive episode, leaving me discouraged. Over the past nine months, I have evaluated how I want to live my life. I will be pursuing an associate's degree at a local community college and taking CLEP tests to attest to my already plentiful knowledge rather than at an expensive university. I am allowing myself to take my time in an effort not to get burned out. In the face of what I have experienced, I try to live my life ambitiously, especially when it has not been auspicious to me. I want to prove that despite what I have been through, I am capable of accomplishing greatness. I spend every day with kindness and hope that energy will be returned to me. I have come to understand that life is not fair and that while I am a victim of my experiences I will still be a success. While it is difficult, I am trying to make a more conscious effort to take care of myself with a special focus on my mental health. I feel that being my healthiest self will enable me to be my most successful self.

For much of my life, I have let my mental health disorders rule the way I was living. I have bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Sometimes just getting from one day to the next feels like climbing Mt. Everest, but somehow I am still here despite three hospitalizations for suicidal thoughts or attempts. Every day it feels as though I am being weighed down by my brain, but the little things help me keep going. I have an amazing boyfriend, two adorable cats, and a rewarding job. As I wake up each day, I am doing my best to remember the good parts of my life. Back in the fall, I attempted to enroll in a university. I spent about a month living on campus away from everyone I knew. As the days went on, I felt lonelier and lonelier. I sunk into a deep depression that led to me not doing my school work or attending classes and even calling out of work. I would lay in my dorm bed-rotting from sun up to sun down. Finally, after weeks went by this way, my therapist questioned why I was staying. When I couldn't give her an answer, it made me realize I needed to put myself first. I was falling deeper and deeper into a sadness that felt inescapable. Continuing to stay enrolled would have left me failing my classes. Ultimately, I decided it was in my best interest to prioritize my mental health and leave school. Since leaving campus in September, I have moved in with my boyfriend in another state. With him, living life feels easier. In a way, I am advocating for my own mental health. I am aiming to consciously take more time to take care of myself. For starters, I am seeing a therapist regularly and trying to work through some of the hardships I have experienced. Additionally, I am trying out a new combination of mental health medications to help manage the symptoms of my conditions. I'm also trying to make more of an effort to have "me time". I take a bubble bath and journal once a week. I still have a lot of progress to make, but I feel I am finally in a place where school is right for me, however, I will not be going off to a university like I originally planned. Instead, I will be attending a local community college close to home. Mental health is important to me as a student because I understand how hard it is to care about learning when you don't care about yourself. In my education, I hope to learn more about what I can do to help myself and others who are battling similar burdens. I have struggled for a long time to allow myself to prioritize and care for my mental health because of the way it was neglected by my parents, yet I feel I am moving in the right direction. As I continue to learn about mental health, it will enable me to live better and provide me the skills I need to assist others in their healing journeys.

Growing up, I experienced polar opposite expressions of emotion from my parents. My mother seemed to feel too much, and my father not nearly enough. I have never truly felt connected to either of them, but from the outside looking in, you'd say I am my mother's daughter. Passed on from her came my bipolar disorder and anxiety. In many ways, we are the same. Especially in the ways we feel. We understand the constant fluctuations of highs and lows. The depression so deep it feels like it could swallow you whole. However, I choose to believe I am more different from her than alike. In addition to our shared disorders, my mom is a cynical narcissist and an addict always in and out of recovery. Her depression, fueled by the heroin always coursing through her veins and sucking every drop of life out of her, festered within me as I spent my childhood waiting for the call that my mother was overdosed on a bathroom floor somewhere. As I've aged, I have pushed her further and further out of my life as a form of protection, yet as I do so, I feel as though I'm losing myself along with her. There has only been one time I truly felt I needed my mom and it was seven years ago. My dad and mom split up when I was quite young. For most of my adolescence, I lived with my dad, step-mom, step-sister, step-brother, and half-sister. For about five years, I was regularly sexually assaulted by my step-brother. Even for years after it stopped, I kept quiet while the secret ate away at me. One day, in a therapy session, I broke down in a PTSD flashback of being raped. After my dad and step-mom were told what happened, my step-mom told me a story of a similar situation she had been in as a kid. She apologized profusely for her son's actions and kicked him out of the house. After a few months went by, she and my dad started to have issues. One night during a "family talk" she and my step-sister laid into me about how I was a liar and an attention-seeking wh*re. They screamed at me for over an hour while I stood there sobbing. My dad neither said nor did a thing. That night, I cried in my bed for my mom as I swallowed a mouthful of pills in an attempt to end my life. Before passing out, I messaged a heartfelt goodbye to my best friend. When I arrived at school the next morning, she forced me to talk to the school social worker after which I was hospitalized. During my time in the hospital, the staff was able to help me greatly change my outlook on life. Since then, I have had some serious depressive episodes and have been hospitalized twice more for suicidal ideations, but each time I come out feeling so unbelievably appreciative of the staff who helped me. Because of the impact mental health professionals have had on my life, I have been led to want to follow in their footsteps. I am confident I can positively impact the lives of others the way mine has been impacted.

1. listen before i go - When I first began listening to Billie I gravitated to this song. At the time, I was starting to contemplate running away from home. In particular, it made me think of my relationship with my dad. I used to lay on the roof outside my window crying in the weeks up to me leaving home. I felt I couldn't catch a breath of air. I was suffering under the pressure of my father's neglect. Leading up to my leaving, I gave him a chance and chance again to do or say something to make me want to stay, but he never did. It absolutely shattered me to leave. I am trying to pick up the pieces, but I still don't feel like myself. 2. The 30th - This song makes me cry the most out of any of Billie's music. When I sing it, I sing it as though I am talking to myself. Around the time this song came out, I was struggling greatly with my mental health. I felt like I was losing my grasp on life. This song helped me remember I am here for a reason when my thoughts of suicide were overwhelming me. People would miss me greatly, and it would largely impact the lives of everyone around me. Chanting "You're alive, you're alive, you're alive" made me felt like I could do it. 3. Therefore I am - This song came out when I was ending a relationship with someone who was obsessed with me. He turned out to be a pretty bad guy, so I completely cut him off even though he wanted us to stay friends. Also, I just love her voice in this song!

While it feels like an eternity has passed, the reality is that it has only been twenty short months since I ran away from home. In doing so, I have learned a lot about myself and done plenty of reflection on how I was raised. My mom has never consistently been in my life, so I pretty much always lived with my dad. From a young age, he began to rely on me. I felt like his therapist as he told me of his relationship struggles or our financial hardship. The older I got, the worse it became. In combination with this, my dad has always been neglectful of my health (not wanting to take me to appointments, not filling my medications, etc.). Two years ago, my dad lost his job while my stop-mom was taking classes to become a nurse. Quickly, I became the breadwinner for our household. I was still a junior in high school, but that didn't stop me from working full-time hours with occasional overtime. I had no choice. We lived in a household of seven - my stepmom's measly 12 work weeks would never be enough to get by. I worked myself to the bone. I was barely sleeping or eating because I had no time. My day was filled with school, my nights with work, and the early morning trying to do homework. I was perpetually exhausted. A few months after my dad got laid off, we got notice of our eviction. While I had been doing my best to support us, draining all my savings and working as often as I could, it never could've been enough. Not when my dad refused to get another job. Even after we were given notice, he still made little effort to try to support our family. Included in the negligent behavior was him not looking for a new place for us to live. As the days ticked by, each bringing us closer to not having a place to live, I started to break down. For the last few months of school, I spent most of my time in the social worker's office crying to her. This situation had finally brought the resentment that had built for my parent's over the years to a head. I cried to her about how I didn't feel loved by them nor did I feel they did their part to raise and care for me. Finally, just a few weeks after school let out for summer, I decided to leave. My father had pushed me to the edge, and I no longer looked up to him. I was devastated and felt alienated from my family. I felt like I was abandoning my siblings the way my mom abandoned me, but I had to remind myself that they were not mine to care for. I spent too long filling in my parents' shoes to pick up their slack. One day while everyone was out, my boyfriend and I packed up all my stuff and took it to my mom's parents' house. It took my dad an entire week to notice, me, my cat, and all of my stuff were gone. This only acted as validation for my leaving. Leaving home was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, but it is also the thing I am most proud of myself for. For the first time in my life, I put my needs first. The path I was falling down at fault of the pressure I was under was crushing me. I think it is an outstanding achievement to come to the understanding that I don't have to submit to my abuser even if he is my father. Getting away made me feel as though a weight I did not know I was carrying had been lifted off me.

Growing up, we had little to spare. Between that and the hardship I endured left and right, I have been shaped into the person I am today. I believe in equity for all. I aspire to shine a light into the lives of those who need it the most. I understand what it is like to suffer - to be at a point so low you feel you will never recover from it -, so I aspire to help others in any way I can with my life because I believe no one deserves to feel helpless. Particularly, I want to impact their emotional and financial health because those are the aspects of my life I have long longed for someone to assist me in. If nothing else, my father passed one philosophy down to me: "It is just money. There will always be more of it." Deeper, I understood it was a way of him justify expenses that made us happy. He would always say that to my step-mom when she criticized him for taking us kids to the movies or buying us things from the store, but he wanted us to enjoy the things he often missed out on. It has always been his belief that money will never stop flowing. You will never stop earning. I have carried this thought with me as I progress through life. Partially because of it, I find myself giving to those around me even though I am not as well off as I would like to be. I am comfortable enough to live, and share what little extra I have with those who ask for it. Firmly, I believe those who have enough to give back should, and that those that do make the world a better place because of it. Through my career in social work, I will advocate for my community. Through fundraising and informative addresses, I will work to increase the financial stability of my community. Davenport has a significant percentage of it's population below the poverty line or homeless. I want to work to greatly reduce this by raising funds to support individuals in need. Additionally, I hope to be a source of emotional support guiding people through life. Eventually, after I have gained much experience, I hope to get into the field of occupational therapy to help people on a more mental level. I have struggled a lot with my mental health. I have much inner personal healing to do before I can truly help others; however, I am certain I will be a great source of good in my community.

I am a firm believer in seizing every chance to make a positive difference. Whether it is in the life of an individual, a community, or the entire world, spreading optimism and participating in productive, positive actions is a crucial part of my core character. I love to help others and strive to do so as often as I can in any way I am able. I love to volunteer and tutor, and am an advocate for doing what is right. Giving back is a passion of mine because I know it will have a lasting impact, and the act of helping people brings me great joy. With my future, I plan to give back as much as I can. I want to leave behind positive change. More importantly, I understand what it’s like to be in need, so I empathize with those who are disadvantaged. I don't want anyone to suffer. I am going to strive to bring prosperity to everything I can as I go through life. After I earn my bachelor’s degree in political science and government, I will go on to persue the political field. Eventually, I would like to become a campaign manager, but I will need to gain experience in the world of politics before I can do that. I will likely take jobs at government agencies or work in the offices of Representatives when I'm fresh outof school. Whatever I'm doing, I want to ensure I continue to advocate for those around me who and to make moves towards creating a more just and equitable society. Whether it be locally or nationally, I want to help insight some much needed change to better the lives of the American people. I am confident in my ability to have a positive impact because I care about others and am drive to see change. I will stop at nothing to achieve my goals. As a first generation college student, I have often felt overwhelmed by the experience of starting school. The thing overwhelming me the most is the cost of college. In addition to being the first in my family to attend college, I am also having to foot the cost all on my own. At the end of my junior year of high school, I ran away due to the neglect and abuse I was experiencing at home. This left me as a homeless, unnacompanied youth. Not living with my parents or really talking to them left me unable to secure information needed to include them on my aid and college applications. Now, my income of less 20k a year is expected to cover my 50k+ in costs if I don't ensure I have aid. With this scholarship, I would be able to chip away a chunk of my outstanding balance. It would greatly alleviate the stress and worry I am feeling about being able to pay for school.

I am a firm believer in seizing every chance to make a positive difference. Whether it is in the life of an individual, a community, or the entire world, spreading optimism and participating in productive actions is a crucial part of my core character. I love to help others and strive to do so often in any way I am able. I love to volunteer and tutor, and am an advocate for doing what is right. Giving back is a passion of mine because the act of helping people and bettering my community brings me great joy. I am going to continue to strive to bring prosperity to everything I can as I pursue my journey in higher education. The way I find myself giving back to my community the most is through advocacy. Particularly, I have advocated many times for my classmates about the unfairness that occurred at our high school. Students were often afraid to stand up to unfairness experienced either directly by staff or the policy they enacted. I, on the other hand, could not stand for the injustice. On issues ranging from improper health procedures, biased dress code, and negative comments about people with disabilities, I have researched laws, written emails and letters, and had meetings with administrators about these topics all in defense of my fellow peers. They often felt they were not being listened to or were worried about getting in trouble, but I refused to let the school get away with such actions. With my advocacy, I was able to get my school to change policies, apologize to students, and disciple staff. As I continue through life, I will continue to advocate for those around me. Majoring in political science and government provides me with great opportunities and outreach to help those in need. After I earn my degree, I hope to be able to use it to help those who are underprivileged in my community. I intend to work on political campaigns with the hope that I will be able to help someone who can create needed change in my community. I want to work directly with the people in my community to better adapt to their needs. My area has a significant percentage of the population under the poverty line, and I want to work to fix that. I believe everyone deserves to have enough to live. Advocating is an important part of my life. I will continue to advocate for myself and those around me with pride. It is my favorite way to give back to those around me because it shows my care for them and exemplifies the traits I like most about myself: my determination and my passion. Everyone deserves to be treated fairly and equally. I will use my life and career to do my part to ensure that happens.

It has forever been my philosophy that in order to achieve a life well lived, I need to have a lasting positive impact on the world around me. I start by displaying character traits I believe are admirable. Like Aktipis, I am driven towards excellence in all aspects of my life. Within life, I try to exemplify values that will make me someone worth remembering. I am a strong, resilient young woman who has persevered through much hardship. Despite everything I have been through, I have always had a heavy focus on academics. Learning is a passion of mine because its bounds are limitless. If you have a hunger for knowledge, there will always be more for you to learn.  My passion for learning has allowed me to be easily diligent in my studies. While my peers complained about our math homework and essays, I excitedly completed the assignments with ease. The way I have succeeded academically is one of the things I am most proud of myself for. My GPA of 3.9 reflects my commitment to succeeding academically. I have maintained high honor roll status throughout every year of my education thus far and will continue to do so throughout my time at university. I was not able to do much studying for the SAT but was able to score 1300 just off my prior knowledge alone. I have passed through many college-level classes already since I was able to complete courses through a community college while in high school.  Because learning in school has always come easy to me, I have done my best to aid my peers in any way I can. I love to help others, so I make an excellent tutor. My friends and classmates have flocked to me over the years for help. It has always felt as though it was my duty to help people in their studies. I was as passionate about spreading knowledge as I was about myself. In part, it was because teaching others closely felt like another form of learning. I am always on the search for innovative ways to learn. I put effort into learning and seeking out the world around me. I am constantly inquisitive and observant of my surroundings. We only get one life, so I want to make sure I absorb as much of it as I can.  In addition to academic excellence, Stelios’ and I share a drive for entrepreneurship. During my time in high school, I was struggling to find a way to express myself the way I wanted. Because of the harsh dress code at my high school, I couldn’t wear a lot of the things I wanted. In response, I started my own small earring business to create a variety of jewelry. I have enjoyed selling cute earrings. It always helps me to express a more creative side of myself while also making some cash on the side. As I enter college, I am excited about the opportunity to sell to expand my customer base and resources.  As I continue my journey through higher education and the experience of life, I am going to continue to epitomize excellence in everything I do. I vow to continue to aim for academic merit, to spread curiosity, and to continue to be passionate and driven. I am determined to spread good in my life, and I am firm in my belief that my good morals and actions will allow me to. I hope to lead a commendable life the way Stelios Aktipis did.

I am an incoming freshman at Bradley University, where I will be studying political science. With my degree, I plan to advocate for equality and justice for all by either becoming a public policy analyst or a campaign manager. Later in my career, I may campaign for public office myself. I am ethical and compassionate. I have experienced hardship and faced biases. I am young, fresh-minded, and represent the younger generation's beliefs. As I progress through all stages of my career, I can advocate for rights and resources for LGBTQ+ people, especially youth. This would be in addition to many other disadvantaged groups. I struggled for a long time to start identifying as LGBTQ+. Usually, I tell people I am bisexual, but the more accurate term for my sexuality is pansexual. I am attracted to men and women alike and would have no issue dating someone nonbinary. I have no sexual preferences, and romantically it makes no difference to me. I have had many female crushes but only dated men. My boyfriend of two years is bisexual, and so is my best friend who I used to have a crush on. My family is Catholic and conservative. Most do not know I am gay, and I am afraid to tell them. I am excited to be at school where my family will not be around and I can openly be myself, admit and explore my sexuality. I like being around my friends where I can be open about who I am. Because I have only dated men, sometimes I do not feel valid to identify as LGBTQ+. I want to be more expressive of my identity in college. Peoria, Illinois, where my college is, is very progressive, so I will have plenty of chances there. Receiving the Rainbow Futures Scholarship would alleviate significant financial burdens for me and my family. My parents have always been supportive of my education but paying for college is a heavy load. This scholarship would allow me to focus on my studies and my goals without the constant worry of financial strain. It would give me the freedom to participate in internships, volunteer opportunities, and campus organizations that align with my passion for LGBTQ+ advocacy. My aspiration for higher education is to gain the knowledge and skills needed to make a real difference in society. I want to use my education to fight for the rights and resources that LGBTQ+ individuals deserve. I hope to create policies that promote equality and justice and work on campaigns that bring these issues to the forefront. By doing so, I can help ensure that future generations do not have to face the same struggles I have encountered. The Rainbow Futures Scholarship would not only ease my financial burdens but also empower me to pursue my dreams of advocating for LGBTQ+ rights. With your support, I can become a strong voice for change and contribute to a more inclusive and just society. Thank you for considering my application.

With my degree in political science from Bradley University, I hope to either become an analyst of public policy or a campaign manager. Later in my career, I might try to run for office. I believe we need younger people from Generation Z and Generation Alpha to become more involved in politics. I am excited to be a part of the movement for change that my generation brings. As an intelligent, responsive, and responsible young woman, I am held in high regard by my community. I have strong morals, and I want to have a positive impact on the world. We need change, and I hope to bring some much-needed change about. I am passionate about spreading love and making sure everyone is cared for but also responsible for their actions. My time at Bradley University will provide me with the knowledge and skills necessary to make a meaningful difference. I plan to use my education to analyze and develop public policies that promote equality and justice for all, especially for underrepresented communities, including the LGBTQ+ community. By understanding the intricacies of policy-making, I aim to create and support laws that protect the rights and well-being of all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. As a campaign manager, I will work to elect candidates who share my vision of a fair and inclusive society. I will ensure that their campaigns highlight the importance of diversity and the need for policies that support marginalized groups. By doing so, I hope to contribute to a political landscape that values and respects everyone. In the future, if I decide to run for office, my platform will focus on creating a society where everyone has equal opportunities and is treated with dignity. I will advocate for policies that address issues such as discrimination, healthcare, and education. My goal is to create a world where everyone feels valued and supported. I am passionate about making sure that everyone is cared for and has the opportunity to thrive. I believe that by promoting love and understanding, we can create a more compassionate and just society. My education at Bradley University will equip me with the tools I need to make this vision a reality. My ultimate goal is to use my political science degree to make a positive impact on society. Whether as a public policy analyst, campaign manager, or future officeholder, I am committed to promoting equality and justice for all. I am excited to be a part of the change that my generation is bringing, and I am determined to make a difference in the world.

My siblings, parents, and peers all had one thing in common while I was growing up: "Little Miss Perfect." This was the nickname I was given as a child due to my adeptness with academics. Although it may seem like harmless teasing from the outside looking in, I am a touch neurodivergent and took the epithet to be literal. I felt I had to go above and beyond in everything I did to keep up with the title. When I found I wasn't good at something, I chose not to do it to protect the "perfection" I was perceived with. As I have grown older, I have come to understand that they weren't looking at me as a perfect person, but that I was being belittled for my strives toward achievement; however, even though I now know perfection to be an impossible feat, I cannot help but still continuously avoid things that I'm not extraordinarily good at. That title caused me to learn a harmful habit I'm not sure I'll be able to unlearn no matter how hard I may try. My need to prove myself has followed me throughout my school career. My classmates have often come to me for assistance with their work. Getting older eventually meant more people knew about my giftedness which, in turn, led to more people seeking me out for help. It got to a point where I was helping so many people that I began prioritizing others' schoolwork over my own. I was helping the people I thought were my friends edit their essays and complete their projects before I had even begun my outline or bought my materials. In reality, most of these people didn't consider me their friend. They were using me as a means to achieve their ends. I was a tool for them. A resource, not a companion. Other gifted children often face the same heartbreaking fate I did. We are made fun of for our talents, yet taken advantage of by those same people who tease us. This can often make us feel like we don't belong and are worth nothing more than our minds. I have been an academically gifted student from a young age. Getting straight A's my whole life has often led me to find myself mentoring others, but I seem to no never have many friends. Instead, people viewed me as someone they could use for help as needed then drop as soon as my purpose had been fulfilled. It was heartbreaking. I'm now driven to make other gifted kids feel as if they bring more value to their interactions than just their intelligence. Political science may seem to be a peculiar way of going about this, but that is my intended major. I want to study the inner workings of our political system and its involvement in education. Using that knowledge, I want to create funding for programs that will band similarly gifted kids together. A sense of community is the absolute best we to promote social-emotional well-being in children - or anyone for that matter. In a lot of schools now, gifted children often are unable to grow to their full capabilities because they are at the beck and call of their needy peers and under the constant pressure of their families to do outstanding. Forming a community of like-minded children and giving them the opportunities and resources they need to flourish will lead to a generation of gifted children going on to create amazing things Everyone expected the world from me, and if I didn't have the world to give, I felt I wasn't good enough. I never want anyone to feel the way I did. With my career, I will work to ensure gifted children are able to prosper comfortably.

I have always believed that those who are able should help those around them in any way they can, and volunteering has only worked to strengthen that mindset. I live in a community where a large portion lives at or under the poverty line. I grew up right along with them - constantly teetering the line of having enough to survive. From a very young age, I have always tried my best to aid my community in whatever way I can. Over the years I've offered free tutoring, helped organize and set up community events, participated in city cleanups, and rang bells for charity. Each time I have given back to the people surrounding me, I've felt immense pride. I'm glad to be able to help make the lives of my neighbors and friends better. I am mostly self-supporting. I work a full-time job and have for almost two years now. For a large portion of that time, my money was going towards bills and rent because my dad had lost his job. I was the primary source of income for a family of seven. This has made it incredibly hard for me to save money for school - or anything for that matter. The money not going to household bills was being used for my car and health. About a month ago, I moved out of my dad's house, leading me to be legally at risk of being homeless. I have been no-contact with my mother for quite some time. Now, I am also mostly no-contact with my dad. I am expecting to have no family contribution whatsoever to help pay for school. Most schools are far too expensive for me to afford without the help of financial aid. I'm desperately hoping to not have to take out student loans. Debt is a paralyzing fear of mine. After I finish school, I hope to be able to give more to my community. If I am in a better place financially, I can healthily support the habit of volunteering. I want to make a difference for the kids who grew up as I did. I want them to understand that people have their back and that they are capable of doing great things. Graduating from college without debt would show young and aspiring bright minds from families similar to mine that progressing their education doesn't have to come with the ever-looming weight of owing thousands of dollars.

Achievements are constantly sought after. We work endlessly for the validation achievements bring us (the trophy to display, the raise in pay, bragging rights, etc.), but my greatest achievement didn't come with much to show for it. Not from the outside at least. Internally, it brought me a lot of growth and healing I had not realized I needed. Just over a month ago, I made the decision to move out of my father's house. For months, I had been struggling to cope with his neglect. I never felt like a part of the family while I was there. My thoughts, feelings, and needs were ignored and neglected. I fell into a deep spiral of depression around the age of 15. I had a hard time finding the will to live because I felt unloved. The lack of support caused me to question running away, but those thoughts spent a long time in the back of my mind. I was convinced I would be stuck there until I had graduated. My dad lost his job the winter before my 17th birthday. A lot of financial burdens fell onto me because his girlfriend, Jessica, was in school trying to earn her nursing degree. I started working 40+ hour weeks to keep up with our bills, but it wasn't enough. A 16-year-old girl making barely enough to support herself shouldn't be the primary income for a family of seven. Slowly, bills - and stress - pilled up. My depression only seemed to worsen at this point. I felt like I was only around for my paycheck. By February, we got notice of our eviction. My dad was still unemployed with seemingly no care to find a new job. Jessica had started picking up a few more hours, but I was still our primary income. Initially, our landlord wanted us out in April. We were able to convince her to let us finish out the school year in the house. July 1st was the date now looming over our heads. By the time I turned 17 in April, I was so burnt out that my usually straight A's had started to slip a few percentage points at a time. I found little joy in life and refused to spend any of my money leisurely. By the beginning of May, I felt so disconnected emotionally from my father that he was like a stranger to me. It was around this time that I solidified the idea that I was going to move out. I couldn't stand being there any longer. I made arrangements to move in with my mom's parents and slowly moved all my things out. Once it was all said and done, it took him a week to notice all my stuff and I were missing. He reached out angrily demanding I come home, but I stood my ground. I detailed why I had left in a long message. Since then, he has only been in contact a couple of times with short messages, usually saying that the kids miss me. Leaving home was the hardest thing I have ever done, yet I still consider it my greatest achievement. I have spent too much of my life prioritizing others over myself. Moving out made me realize how direly I needed to put myself first. I am so much happier and healthier now that I'm gone. If leaving has taught me nothing else, it has shown me that I deserve to feel loved. Living with my grandparents makes me feel like there are people who have a genuine care for me, how I feel, and what I think. I hope to continue achieving some much-needed personal growth over the next few years. I still need to do a lot of work on myself to undo the mental damage done by my parents. Now that I'm in a supportive environment, doing so feels much more attainable.

Living a healthy life is something that comes easier to some than others. Sometimes, aspects of our health are predetermined by our genetics. Some people are more susceptible to weight gains, some have poor immune systems, some have chemically imbalanced brains - the list goes on and on. I'm a believer that even though some aspects of our health may be (at least in part) out of our control, we can still live well roundedly heathy lives. I'm far from as physically healthy as I am striving to be, but I'm making an effort to have a healthier body. For starters, I'm working to have healthier drinking and eating habits. I grew up without a lot of money, so healthy, balanced meals were rarely an option for me. Now that I am older, I'm making an effort to incorporate more fruits and veggies into my diet while trying to limit my processed and fast food intake. I'm not perfect, especially considering I work at a quick service restaurant, but I'm working to be more conscious of what goes into my body. Along with adjusting my food intake, I'm working to trying to drink more water. I have started caring a large insulated water bottle that is helping me a lot. Having easily avaliable cold water with me wherever I am has changed my drinking habits significantly. Since making these diet changes, I have noticed that I'm having less and less stomach aches as well as much higher energy levels throughout the day. In addition to bettering my physical health, I have also be trying to become more mentally healthy. I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, depression, and PTSD relatively young, yet neither I nor my guardians ever did much in the way of treatment or care for my mental health. Finally, I started taking medications to help me regulate the imbalances and stress caused by my disorders. Additionally, I have begun journaling again - something I haven't done since I was a kid. Journaling gives me a much needed outlet when I am feeling stressed or overwhelmed. I haven't seen too drastic of changes in how I'm feeling mentally, but I'm slowly starting to feel more full of life again. I hope to spend this school year further improving my health. One of my main goals is to become more physically active. I have a form of tachycardia that has always made if difficult for me to enjoy things like swimming and hiking with friends. If I can work to have a healthier cardio vascular system, I can start to participate in those sorts of things with them. Another goal of mine is to reduce my caffiene reliance. While I have started drinking more water, I'm still stuck down the slippery slope of a caffiene dependence. Starbucks and energy drinks are eating away at my saving, so I want to learn other, healthier ways to boost my energy in the morning. A healthy life is easier for some than others. I'm fortunate enough to be able to mostly have control over my health. Becoming a healthier person makes me proud of myself. I hope that throughout my life, I'm able to help others become healthier, too.

Math follows us in every aspect of our lives. With nearly every event, major or minor, you can expect there to be mathematics involved in some way, shape, or form. Every wedding planned, house built, grocery trip, and mile on your car, you are applying math not only to your life but the lives of the people in your local community and sometimes even within your entire country or the entire world. Without mathematics, the world simply would not go around. The most vital role math plays in our lives is arguably money. You need it, and so does everyone else. It is important for us to comprehend math principles in order to make wise choices with our money and keep not only the economy but also ourselves afloat. Understanding interest and tax rates can make it astronomically easier to financially plan your life. If you are mathematically adept, you will likely be in better control of your finances and find it easier to save money than someone who struggles with algebra. It can help you understand when you're getting a better deal, and you can create earning projections based on your hourly rate. The fact that math shows up everywhere is one of the main reasons I love it. It's like a real-life game of ISpy. It allows me to take a minute to appreciate the hidden functions behind our everyday lives and experiences. I like to spend time mentally pointing them out, and trying to do the math at the source of my day-to-day life. It allows me to find comfort in the fact that even if there may not be a divine force watching over us, in a way, math is. It guides us through life in ways we sometimes don't even realize. Without it, we could not function. A large part of my appreciation for math stems from the fact that I am naturally good at it. Before I made it to kindergarten, I could add and subtract multi-digit numbers. By first grade, I was doing multiplication and long division. The cycle of teaching myself new and more complex maths has continued all the way up until now. With my skill, I have been able to teach and tutor my peers. In my mind, there is nothing more gratifying than helping those around me. I hope to continue to spread mathematically wisdom for the rest of my life.

Math was my first true talent and, arguably, my first hobby. From a very young age, I was fascinated with numbers. The way we can manipulate numbers within equations to answer unlimited questions was mind-boggling to elementary school Mya. I was determined to become a master at such manipulation. I would spend hours upon hours solving the problems I begged my family to write out. Quickly, math became a way for me to pass the time. When I was in class waiting to move on, I'd whip out my math textbook and start on assignments that probably wouldn't be given out for weeks or even months. Over time, math became a safe space for me. As I grew up, I began to notice more and more how much I struggled with social skills as well as emotional communication. It caused a lot of stress for me for a long time, but I could always turn back to the cold hard facts of math to ease my mind when everything else seemed so uncertain and confusing. Even now that I've started to become more at ease socially, I still find comfort in math. I know it will always be there when I need it, consistently the same.

With every purchase you make, you are affecting climate change in some way. Your canned energy drink may end up in a landfill if you don't choose to recycle it. Your frozen chicken nuggets support mass farming. Your gas car is emitting toxic chemicals into the air. The list is seemingly endless. You'll never be able to escape the impact you're having on the planet no matter how hard you try, but you can try to minimize the negatives of your life choices by committing actions that better our planet - even if it's only on the tiniest of scales. Personally, I believe that the best way for us to combat climate change and preserve the beauty of the world is to take steps to self-sustain and repurpose in our everyday lives. Oftentimes, people have the means and space to do things for themself but decide not to out of convenience. For example, we would rather buy tomatoes at the store rather than in our own backyard. If we could encourage more people to garden, we could reduce the massive amounts of land used for farming worldwide by revamping a space already in use. With this extra space, we now have land that can be reforested to provide habitats and clean air. Additionally, repurposing and donating things you own allows for significantly less consumer waste to end up in already overcrowded landfills. Instead of throwing away an old pair of shoes, you can clean them up a bit and pass them on. Instead of tossing the plastic containers your lunchmeat comes in, you can reuse them as tupperware for your leftover dinner. By working to repurpose and self-sustain, we can easily and cheaply create a healthier world for our future. In my life, I do my best to combat climate change in little ways that will hopefully domino into bigger effects. I garden what I can and use peals of fruit and vegetables that would have otherwise been discarded as a natural fertilizer for my soil. I also do little things that are beneficial both for my pocket and the Earth such as shutting off lights when I leave a room, unplugging appliances I am not using, and using cold water to wash my clothes. All of these steps help me create a better world, but I want to do so much more. This spring, I am hoping to organize a city-wide cleanup. I am still working out the specifics, but I plan to divide volunteers into groups to clean up areas of my town. In doing this, I will get garbage off the streets that animals may ingest as well as make Streator look nicer. Our planet's survival is key to our own. If we continue the nearly irreparable damage being done, our future generations won't stand a chance. Change needs to be made, and I firmly believe that each person can make a difference.

With every purchase you make, you are affecting climate change in some way. Your canned energy drink may end up in a landfill if you don't choose to recycle it. Your frozen chicken nuggets support mass farming. Your gas car is emitting toxic chemicals into the air. The list is seemingly endless. You'll never be able to escape the impact you're having on the planet no matter how hard you try, but you can try to minimize the negatives of your life choices by committing actions that better our planet - even if it's only on the tiniest of scales. Personally, I believe that the best way for us to combat climate change and preserve the beauty of the world is to take steps to self-sustain and repurpose in our everyday lives. Oftentimes, people have the means and space to do things for themself but decide not to out of convenience. For example, we would rather buy tomatoes at the store rather than in our own backyard. If we could encourage more people to garden, we could reduce the massive amounts of land used for farming worldwide by revamping a space already in use. With this extra space, we now have land that can be reforested to provide habitats and clean air. Additionally, repurposing and donating things you own allows for significantly less consumer waste to end up in already overcrowded landfills. Instead of throwing away an old pair of shoes, you can clean them up a bit and pass them on. Instead of tossing the plastic containers your lunchmeat comes in, you can reuse them as tupperware for your leftover dinner. By working to repurpose and self-sustain, we can easily and cheaply create a healthier world for our future. In my life, I do my best to combat climate change in little ways that will hopefully domino into bigger effects. I garden what I can and use peals of fruit and vegetables that would have otherwise been discarded as a natural fertilizer for my soil. I also do little things that are beneficial both for my pocket and the Earth such as shutting off lights when I leave a room, unplugging appliances I am not using, and using cold water to wash my clothes. All of these steps help me create a better world, but I want to do so much more. This spring, I am hoping to organize a city-wide cleanup. I am still working out the specifics, but I plan to divide volunteers into groups to clean up areas of my town. In doing this, I will get garbage off the streets that animals may ingest as well as make Streator look nicer. Our planet's survival is key to our own. If we continue the near irreparable damage being done, our future generations won't stand a chance. Change needs to be made, and I firmly believe that each person can make a difference.

Every career comes with its own positives and negatives. Deciding on your career is something that will alter your life path in a multitude of ways. You have to consider where you'll be able to live, if work will have to come home with you, and what kind of stress your job may induce. For me, none of these matter as much as the reason I chose my desired career: what good I can do in this field. Poltics - especially media - are full of corrupt and biased information that poisons the nation against itself. Seemingly no news station can go without creating blasphemous statements about happenings we're relying on them to educate us on. Once I earn my political science degree, I will strive to be a voice or neutrality. The vast majority of American people do not understand much about how our government functions or how those functions affect them. I am going to dedicate my career to learning the nooks and cranies of the government. With this information, I hope to become a voice for the American people. Above all else, my passion is to help people. I lived a majority of my life with few people who truly had my best intrest at heart. Because of this, I often find myself working to help everyone around me in any manner I can. Just as I plan to be with my career, I am a voice for those in my personal life who feel they will not be listened to. Specifically, I stand up for my peers at school when administrators take advantage of their unwillingness to stand up for themselve. Last year, several admin at my school tried to discipline an African-American student for wearing a protective scarf in her hair because it broke dress-code. On behalf of her and many other upset members of the student body, I sent several emails back-and-forth with my dean of students, assistant principal, principal, and even the superintendent. This year, our dress-code is amended to allow all protective headwear instead of just those with religious importance. I hope that with my life I'm able to leave a positive impact on the world around me. Persuing political science will allow me to enact some much needed change here in America. I am going to make myself a reliable source that everyone feels they can trust. I want to be the face of a new era of information sharing.

Reading is an escape from my own reality. If I can pick up a book and escape into a fictional world or hundreds of years into the past, it makes things much more bearable. As a kid, my parents couldn't get me to put my book down. I've loved to read for as long as I can remember. Any novel, short story, essay, newspaper, or magazine within my grasp, I read. Many books have had huge impacts on my life, so it's hard to limit myself to just one. If I had to choose, I would say The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller has had the most influence on me. In this book. Miller retells parts of Homer's epic The Odyssey from the view of Patroclus while also detailing his relationship with Achilles. I read this book as part of a school book club. Honestly, I was surprised I enjoyed it because I have never been a fan of mythology. I also found The Odyssey to be boring which weighed down my already small excitement to read the book. Despite the odds pointing against it, The Song of Achilles turned out to be one of my favorite books of all time. Madeline Miller's story was the first I had ever read with clear and explicit LGBTQ+ representation. At the time of my first read-through, I had just started to accept and express my identity as a queer person. When I realized the true nature of the relationship between Patroclus and Achillies, I cried. I felt unbelievably happy to see even the smallest amount of representation in something I already loved. It helped me become a lot more accepting of myself. Initially, upon discovering my true self, I had been beating myself up over my identity because I had developed a socialized prejudice during my childhood due to negative media and the beliefs of my parents. Since reading The Song of Achilles, I have started to search for novels with characters who I identify with in many other aspects of my life such as neurodivergence, split parents, and being the victim of sexual assault. By doing this, I have started to feel more seen in my daily life. It has also helped me find more people in real life that I can relate to. Because I read Madeline's book, I'm living a more happy and healthy life. I have more true friends and I have less judgment for myself. I hope that pursuing political science will allow me to encourage more funding for public education and libraries. Everyone deserves to have the same opportunities that reading has given me, but unfortunately, we don't live in a society where that is currently possible. I hope that I can create the change necessary to give people to chance to accept themselves and find a community through reading.

Every memorable thing you've done, good or bad, brilliant or stupid, helpful or destructive, makes up your legacy, but that doesn't mean your legacy is one solid, concrete thing. Different people in your life may view your legacy in differing ways. You are not the same to any two people; therefore, no two people have the same perceived legacy of you. Now, there may be common factors from one person's perception to the next. For example, you may have written a best-selling novel that many people consider to be part of your legacy. Because each person has their own image of you, though, the little - and arguably more important - details of your legacy such as personality and characteristics will differ. My upbringing has been rough, to say the least. Alanna, my mother, has been in and out of my life for as long as I can remember. She is a narcissist with a history of substance abuse. My father, Charles, has never been very involved in my life and has awful drinking and gambling habits. Because my parents aren't the best, I have done more than my fair share of raising my nine younger siblings. This has turned me into a very caring and nurturing person. I feel the need to take care of everyone around me, and I often put others' needs before my own. Having not great parents has also turned me into an incredibly self-reliant person. I have often had no one to count on, so I learned to handle whatever life throws at me on my own. I don't plan on having kids, but, if I do, I'm desperately hoping to break the cycle created by my parents. I never want any potential future child of mine to deal with the things I've dealt with. Kids deserve to live their lives without much serious worry or struggle, but I was unfortunately not granted that. I'm working to become mentally healthier so that I don't run the risk of putting the weight of my struggles onto my children. Additionally, I am steering clear of the negative habits of my parents that ultimately plagued them with unbearable addictions. Finally, I'm breaking the cycle by planning on keeping my parent's role in my children's lives as minimal as possible. I don't want them to have the chance to traumatize my kids the way they did to me. The pictures attached below are of my best friend Jo. She pulled me out of a deep hole of depression when we first met and has continued to make my life better every day since. Jo is a strong, independent woman who doesn't let anything stand in her way. Despite the struggles she has faced, she perseveres. She is kind-hearted and always goes out of her way to do good for others.

Every day, 8,000,000,000 of us face struggles that we must overcome. For someone with a chronic illness, these struggles are magnified tenfold; however, the resources available to them are minuscule in comparison to a healthy person. If you are chronically ill, you have to work harder for everything you want or need in life, yet the expectations people have of you are equivalent to those of an average person. I have suffered from postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) for the past five years. It dramatically affects my day-to-day life. I often get severe dizzy spells that leave me unable to focus or function properly. I have to take breaks at work or at school because I can't spend too much time standing. I also have to take special care to make sure I don't overexert myself when being active on any level due to an inability to control my heart rate. Once it starts to accelerate, I have a hard time getting it to go back down to normal. Because I physically struggle, many people have often come to expect less of me, but I want to prove them wrong. A physical ailment does not make me any less capable of being a happy, productive member of our society, yet many people think it does. I persevere socially and academically to prove them wrong. I push myself to become the absolute best person I can be despite my condition so that I can inspire other young women to push through their struggles to become great things. I have used my condition to motivate me into becoming an amazing person. I don't let it stop me from doing all the things I want to do. It has made me want to advocate for those who are oppressed because of any physical or mental characteristic they possess. I am a white, mostly able-bodied person and I am eternally grateful for that. I feel it is my duty to help those who may be less fortunate. I am hopeful that pursuing political science and government will allow me to directly enter the systems that affect those suffering. In a world where life tries to shut us down, I want to help create more opportunities for women like me. Millions of people like me struggle with what are seemingly easy, day-to-day tasks. When people are faced with such physical disadvantages, it is easy for them to feel discouraged and overwhelmed. Presenting them with more readily available resources to help them is one of my main goals. Part of the problem with the systems we have in place is that they were mostly designed by people who don't face physical ailments. Because of this, they only know what it's like to struggle in theory, not in practice. If someone who has actually experienced these problems helps to create solutions, it is likely they will be much more beneficial. I hope to teach that your struggles don't have to define you. If my story could inspire even just one girl, I would consider myself as successful as I could possibly be.

Social issues plague us as a society. Overcoming them all can feel like making the treacherous climb up Mount Everest. We feel often the best, most experienced, and most knowledgable climbers could possibly take on the task, but when it comes to social issues, you don't need to be the best at anything to make a difference. Change always starts on a small scale. If you can enact change locally, there will be a domino effect on surrounding communities that will eventually lead to statewide and nationwide involvement. It can be hard to decide what issues to focus on. Typically, I tend to channel my energy into finding solutions to problems most directly affecting me or my loved ones. Most recently, I have been researching the discrimination dress codes - particularly the one at my school - put on African-American students. Last year, my friend Cherish was threatened with punishment several times for breaking the dress code by wearing a protective head scarf. Our dress code prohibits headwear of any kind as a safety precaution. Many students including myself were upset by this. I started researching whether schools were able to prohibit cultural headwear such as Cherish's scarf. I also had a talk with Cherish about why the scarf was important to her and why she was upset the school wouldn't let her wear it. Over the course of a few weeks, Cherish was continuously threatened with discipline despite her attempts to rationalize with the administration at our school. I ultimately decided to take things into my own hands. I went around to gather the opinions of other students on the issue at hand. Not one was in support of banning headscarves such as Cherish's. I also did more research on the significance of the scarfs. Once I felt I had enough information, I wrote a lengthy email to the dean of students, board of education, principal, and superintendent detailing why the policy was unfair. After nothing changed, I organized for other students to wear appropriate headwear in protest. This year when the handbook was released, students were now permitted to wear culturally significant headwear. I now pay particularly close attention to Supreme Court cases involving the rights of students. I also have our handbook memorized in order to come to the aid of my peers when supposed issues arise. People in positions of power tend to not listen to those below them, but I make it impossible for my voice to not be heard.

I have gone my whole life with seemingly no stable mother figure. My birth mother, Alanna, has battled with addiction my whole life. She was in and out of prison during my childhood, and now that I'm older, I choose to keep her as far away as possible to prevent myself from getting hurt. For about eleven years, my dad was with my sister's mom, Crystal, who never truly treated me as her own. Nothing I did ever felt as though it was good enough for her. When she and my dad split, things ended on a sour note for the two of us. I was in the mental hospital and told my dad I wouldn't come home until she was gone. I have always been proud of how well I do academically. For a long time, I didn't think much of it. I noted myself as smart and let my intelligence fall to the back of my mind. As I've gotten older, I realize I put an absurd amount of pressure on myself to exceed. I feel that if I'm not doing the best, I'm not doing good enough. I seek affirmation in any way I can, and academics have always been a quick source of validation. I wanted to make my dad proud of me. Because my relationships with Alanna and Crystal were rough, I have always felt I had something to prove. I want to prove to the world that I don't need a mom in my life to be successful. There is a lot of astigmatism surrounding single-parent households, especially ones where daughters are being raised by their fathers, but I hope to further my education in a manner that inspires others to break through the hardships they have faced. Let's prove the world wrong and show them we are capable in spite of all we have faced. Political science seems to be an excellent field to make a difference for children who will come to face the same struggles I did. I want to create programs that encourage growth in children who may have been expected to go down the wrong path. Rough childhoods often make for poorly-lived adulthoods, but I will do everything in my power to break the cycle that makes youth feel defeated. Everyone should have the same chance to rise to greatness. I know I won't be able to give that opportunity to all those facing obstacles, but that's not going to stop me from trying.

Growth is a constant in everyone's life, yet we often don't notice it until someone points it out. For a long time, I felt I wasn't growing at all. I felt I was stuck in the same depressing cycle of bad and unhealthy habits, but, thankfully, over the past year, I have had someone come into my life who points out even my most minor instances of growth. The most significant growth I've had is an increase in my communication skills. Growing up, I often felt my ideas and feelings didn't matter or were insignificant, so I began keeping most of my thoughts to myself. My boyfriend, Luke, noticed this almost immediately after we got together. He began encouraging me to share my thoughts with him. I have grown a lot more confident in sharing how things make me feel especially when something upsets me. I'm thankful to have someone in my life who wants to hear what I say and won't undermine my thoughts. I have also begun to accept some of my mental health struggles because of Luke. He has taught me that just because my mental health doesn't define me doesn't mean I'm not allowed to struggle or ask for help. For a long time, I ignored my mental health issues and pushed passed them as if they weren't there. This usually ended in burnout and severe periods of depression where I didn't want to socialize at all. Since Luke and I have gotten together, I have started to admit that I need breaks sometimes. It's okay to need rest, but I often ignored my needs by putting others before myself. He has helped me to see it's okay to ask for help. Even though I still tend not to ask, I have learned to accept it. While I have done a lot of growing, there is still plenty that has remained the same. I tend to overload myself with work. I'm currently dually enrolled in college and high school while also participating in a sport and working around forty hours a week. I don't know when I need to take it easy. No matter how much I'm doing, I always feel as though I should be doing more. This year, that is something I want to improve on. As I go through life, I want to help people grow the way Luke has helped me. His presence in my life has been life-changing. I can't thank him enough for all he has done for me. If I can do half of what he has done for me for someone else, I would consider my life a success. We often measure success by how much money you have and how many people know your name, but, to me, success is by your happiness as well as what you do for others. I hope that my career in political science will guide me onto a path that will allow me to help as many people as possible grow into better versions of themselves.

Art, in its typical and musical forms, is the single best expression we have as humans. As people, we are often shy about sharing how we truly feel, but things like writing music or poetry, drawing, or painting allow us to express ourselves, even if it may only be private. The great thing about art is that if you don't want to share it, you don't have to. It can simply be a way for you to relax and feel. For a while, I refused to create any of my own art because I was afraid of being judged for not being good at it; however, during covid, I began starting to express myself privately. I began by writing poetry to help me battle my depression. Writing made me feel less helpless. More recently, I have started a small earring business to help others express themselves. The way we dress and the accessories we wear are other good ways to show how we feel, so I want to help others in any way I can. The piece of music that has had the most impact on me is a song by RKS titled "Matchbox". The song takes a step back to recognize unrealistic and unfair social norms. It encourages people to live life by their own rules rather than doing what they think they are supposed to. RKS is a band that I only began listening to over the last year or so, but a lot of their music has become important to me. I enjoy finding the deeper meanings behind music. Their work gives me plenty of opportunities to do that. Because I have always performed well academically, it is expected that I will go into a traditional field, but I don't want to lose sight of the importance I know the arts possess in our society. I am planning on going into political science with a main focus on bettering our society. Among many other things, I want to give opportunities to those who don't have them. Everyone deserves to have their voice heard, so if someone won't listen to them or they feel they can't speak, I will speak for them. I want to create a society where art is at the forefront of expression, but right now many people don't have access to the means they need to create art. I also want to help erase some of the stigma that artistic work is unmasculine. Things like poetry, painting, and pottery are often portrayed with incredibly feminine natures. Art is for everyone, yet most don't see it that way. Art is so much more important than people realize. I'm hopeful that I can shine some light on its significance and the way it can help people.

Adversity is an old friend of mine. It has seemingly always been present, and it knows me better than anyone else could ever even imagine. I hate comparing the struggles of people because no one person copes with or experiences situations in the same way, but I have arguably lived a pretty tough life. My parents split when I was young enough to not remember them being together at all. Alanna, my mom, fell into bad habits. She began using heroin and forged my aunt's signature in order to pull money from her bank account. When a warrant was put out for her arrest, she told me that her friend was sick. She said she wouldn't see me for a while because she needed to go take care of her. I remember feeling hurt that her friend was more important than seeing me. One week later, my dad told me she had been arrested. This is where the beginning of my problems with Alanna began, but the adversity she causes seems never ending. I could write thousands of words about everything she's done. I have effectively cut her out of my life because of the things she has done. Because I removed her from my life, I've never really had a stable mother figure. My dad has had a couple girlfriends who have tried, but no one has truly treated me as their daughter. Not having a mom made me feel like I missed out on a lot of things as a kid. Nothing major, just little things like how to put on makeup or straghten my hair. Things most girls don't even think about. As I'm growing up, I feel I'm missing out on more important lessons and experiences like prom and a wedding. Coming from low-income has also proved to be a challenge for me. Between my parents, I have nine siblings. I live with my dad, his girlfriend, and four of my siblings. My dad recently go laid off and my stepmom can work very limited hours because she is in medical school, so a lot of the burden for paying for things falls on me. I work 40+ hour weeks - making me our primary source of income right now - while fulltime in school. I'm worried about burnout, but I also don't want any of my siblings to wonder if the water is going to get shut off or if there's going to be food on the table the way I did at their age. I do my best to manage my time and my money so that I can excel in school both now and in the future while still also giving up everything I possibly can to help the house. When people face extreme adversity, it is often assumed tt they won't integrate well into society. They are expected to fail at life - staying in that same lowpint they started in. My background, on the other hand, is what has driven me to be the absolute best person I can be. I want to work hard to prove I don't need Alanna in my life to come from money to be successful. Because of this, I have had straight A's all throughout school, always acted as a leader, and have continuously taken care of those around me. I hope I'm able to help break the stigma surround adversity. Struggles don't always have to equate to failure.

Music is a powerful way to express emotions and beliefs. I have often used it to find words for me when I felt I wasn't able. It has helped me through some of the toughest times in my life while also being there to celebrate the highest points. During covid, I discovered the band RKS. A lot of their music tends to have happy-sounding notes, but if you actually take the time to listen to the lyrics, you discover much deeper meanings. They describe the hardships of life as well as the difficulties of coming to terms with the reality of religion in our world Much of their music speaks to me, but most particularly their song It's Called Freefall. There is a verse that goes "Cause ain't shit free but falling out, that shit's easy let me show you how..." To me, this shows a critique of how easy it is to fail at life. It shows that failing is easy and that everyone does it. We spend the majority of our lives trying not to fail, but it's a natural thing. I hope this song helps others see that it's okay to fail the way it has for me.

Everyone has goals for the future. Some are selfish and some are not. People who have selfish goals are often looked down upon, but I think having selfish goals is a perfectly valid thing. We all go through a lot in life, so it's only fair for us to want good for ourselves. I want to erase some of the stigmatism surrounding purely selfish goals. There is nothing wrong with wishing good for your future. Let's stop acting like there is. Personally, I aspire to make money. Not I-won-the-lottery money or I'm-Elon-Musk money, but enough to live comfortably. I grew up not finically well off. We went through on-and-off periods of stability; however, it was never consistent. Some months I'd be wondering if we had enough money for a fulfilling meal and others I would have new toys. I never want any future children I have to ever worry about money. I want to make enough to live comfortably while never having to go with my wants and needs being met. Exploring the world is a huge goal of mine. Having comfortable finances will enable me to do that without burdening myself. Now, having money of course is not my only goal. I hope to bring about some long-lasting, positive change in our society. We unfortunately live in a country of inequality and suppression. Women make less than men, LGBTQIA+ members battle to be able to love who they love and be themselves, African Americans are turned down for jobs simply because of their skin color, and Indigenous tribes fight to keep their land. The list is seemingly neverending. So much is wrong with the world that it can feel like no one person can make a difference, but I strongly support the idea that one person can change everything. I want to be to one to make that change. Studying political science will help me understand more about what is wrong with our systems. With that knowledge, I will then be able to take steps to reform said systems into more positive and beneficial ones. Setting myself up to pursue my college education has been a scary thing. As a first-generation college student, I feel I have no one in my personal life that I can turn to for support in my journey to college. Instead, I have to go to less comfortable sources such as my school's guidance counselor to gather information about how to apply to schools and scholarships as well as what college life is like and how I can make my transition easier. I also am facing the looming question of how I will pay for college. Because I come from a low-income background I expect to receive very little or no finical support from my family. In order to make up for that money, I have been working long hours to save as much money as possible and applying to all of the scholarships I fit the qualifications for. College is a huge step in the direction of being able to achieve my goals, but I'm worried the obstacles in my path will prevent me from reaching them. To me, achieving my goals would prove that I'm capable of accomplishing great things despite the hardships I have faced. I want to do good for myself and the world around me. Hopefully, attending college will enable me to do so.

The abstractness of math as a concept often makes people shy away from it, but I'm not one of them. Math has always been a source of comfort for me. I love its complexity. In some cases, it is obsolete fact. For instance, if you have two marbles and someone gives you two more, you will now have four marbles. This is non-negotiable. Other branches of math, however, are far less concrete. They make you wonder what could possibly be true, and, oftentimes, how things could possibly be true. Math is something I have always been good at, and, as a human, I naturally gravitate toward such things. I could multiply and do long division before I even finished kindergarten. By the time I was in second grade, I was tutoring my older sister in algebra. In sixth grade, I joined my school's math time. On the cusp of covid, I advanced to the state level for math competitions in eighth grade. During my high school career, I have breezed through math courses. I have often felt I am not being challenged in math, so I have instead used my time to teach those around me. If they don't understand the concept, I do my best to make things more clear for them. I am searching for more of the complexities that math has to offer. I want to be challenged. So much good can be done with it, but I feel I have only been able to explore the frosting of the cake that is mathematics. Exploring higher-level math will enable me to learn and understand things I thought previously to be unimaginable. Math ties into so much of our lives that its importance is often overlooked. I want to raise awareness about what math can do for us as a society. Our world is full of problems desperately in need of solving. Math is deeply involved in each of these problems. The average temperature is rising? Math. Wage gap? Math. Cost of living increases? Math. No matter where you turn, math is right around the corner. That is why I want to dive into the deep knowledge of math. If we can understand the numbers our problems present, we can likely find the root of such problems, and, ideally, solutions or, at the very least, aids to these issues. Because I want to be part of the difference, I am considering dual-majoring in data science or data analytics as well as political science. Learning about data and how to measure as well as understand it will allow me to enact changes we are in much need of. I want the world to prosper for generates to come, but that is something we are not on track to do with our current state. If we cannot fix the issues we are facing, we are doomed. Math is crucial to solving these problems.

No matter what corner you turn, a need for change is always there. There is so much wrong in our world, it is likely impossible to create change everywhere it is needed, but that doesn't stop me from attempting to do my part. In my mind, any amount of change one person can enact is plenty good enough. I will consider myself successful even if I can only improve things on the tiniest of scales. For as long as I can remember, my community has been plagued with drug addiction. Nearly everyone in my town knows an addict; most can direct you to a dealer's house. This problem affects me personally because I grew up with several of my family members addicted. It destroyed my childhood. I was plagued with fear that every phone call was my mom getting arrested or my aunt overdosing. In an attempt to keep any other children from experiencing what I did, I advocate for members of my community to live drug-free lives. I am part of a local group called Snowball where we learn about healthy coping skills that can be used to substitute drugs while also raising money to support the rehabilitation of addicts. We have many problems here in America that are arguably in need of change; however, I believe that the direst of these problems is a lack of voice for marginalized groups. LGBTQIA+ speak out about the homophobia they experience, but it is glossed over. African Americans speak up about the racism they experience, but they are ignored. Indigenous people tell us about the prejudice against them, but we don't listen. Women stand up against the inequalities they are put through, but their problems are minimized. Every single day a marginalized person begs for our help, yet they are ignored. I aim to become the voice for the people who feel they have none. Whenever I see someone not being listened to, I become a voice for them. I refuse to go unheard. I use my privilege as a straight-presenting white woman to make sure issues are being addressed. Globally, the amount of problems we face seems neverending. It is easy to feel overwhelmed when trying to take on these challenges. I strongly believe that if everyone does their part, we can generate enough change to solve every problem we face. Encouraging others to solve issues they see that others may not is a huge part of the way I make change. Persuading people to speak up, vote, and volunteer makes a huge difference. Getting other people to see they can be part of a solution, even if they can't do it all on their own, is the first step in solving the issues we face. Majoring in political science feels like a great way to go about creating change. Political science will allow me to learn more in depth about the problems we are facing as wells as what creates those problems. If I know systems are creating problems, I can try to reform those systems which will eradicate the problems at hand. All-in-all, I just want the world to be a better place. Whatever I can do to make that happen, I will. Everyone deserves equality and I want to ensure they get that. Hopefully, college will put me on the right path to enact some of the change we so desperately need.

The universe, earth most especially, is a perplexing thing. To think that we were all once single-celled organisms is mind-boggling. Earth has advanced a lot since then. We are now beings capable of complex thought, however, such thinking has led us to pose many questions about how we came to be as well as how things do or could work. Our high level of thinking has created many marvelous and intricate societies over the years. Although most people would say studying the universe only pertains to space and biology, I believe that studying our civilizations as well as our systems is not only a valid way of studying the universe but a better one. The way we interact with each other is arguably a better representation of the nature of our universe than studying big hunks of minerals and gases could ever be. Studying societies gives us insight into how we've developed as beings. If we observe the way societies have evolved over time, we can see the way we are evolving as a universe. As far as we know, we are the only intelligent life to currently exist in the universe. Assuming this is true, we are the only species capable of even thinking about the nature of our universe in the first place. Therefore, we should cherish the development that resulted in us being able to have such unique thoughts. Political structure laid the framework for much of this development to take place. With politics, the idea of hierarchy was formed. The idea that having certain qualities made you better than others is a tale as old as time. It began first with the men possessing larger farms being of higher value as people than those with small farms, but would eventually go as far as creating separation between races, gender, religion, and sexuality. No one person is better than anyone else based solely on their background. Instead, judgment should be based on their actions. We have come to discriminate against marginalized groups simply because they are different. Oppressing the voices of those who are different from us has become so normalized that many people often don't even realize it is happening. I want to learn about how the early stages of politics eventually created the discriminatory and oppressive world we now live in. Everyone deserves to have a voice regardless of who they are. Becoming the voice for people who feel they do not have one is my main goal in life. The structures we have come to know, be it fondly or unfondly, are flawed. Some view them in a positive light only because these flaws have no negative impacts on them. I hope to resolve these flaws one step at a time. After pursuing my higher education, I am going to dedicate my life to understanding not only how these structures affect people, but also how people affect these structures. If they can be built, they can also be unbuilt. Our universe needs someone willing to dive into the deep end to create change. I'm going to be that person. If we do not implement change soon, life as we know it will fall apart. Understanding how life as we know it came to be is the best way to save ourselves. If we can learn about the cause-and-effect relationships of the world, we can create positive actions that will have long-lasting beneficial influences on our life. If we really are the only intelligent species to exist, we need to cherish the opportunity we have been given and support our fellow humans not destroy them.

College has always been a scary thought for me. It is a completely new experience filled with changes that you sometimes aren't ready for. For a long time, I avoided thinking about it altogether. Instead, I just focused on living. College and ideas of going were far in the background of my life growing up. I knew I wanted to go but never knew where I wanted to go or what I wanted to pursue Over the past year, I have finally started making important decisions about my future. I immediately fell in love with the first college I visited: Bradley University in Peoria, IL. It is a beautiful, mid-sized school full of growth opportunities for its students, but it is far outside of what I believe my budget to be. That is why I'm putting in the work now. Applying to as many scholarships now will give me the best chance of accomplishing my goal in life which is to improve the world around me in some way or another. I want to do good. Even if I can only make a difference on a small scale, I want to give at least one person a better life. That is why I'm going to major in political science. I want to study the systems our government has put in place as well as the ones it regulates like the education system. With that knowledge, I plan to deconstruct our systems and replace them with better, more efficient ones. People in our society often have only their best interests at heart. In contrast, I want not only to better the world for myself but to better it for everyone. Everyone deserves to live happy, healthy, and comfortable lives. I hope to be the person to start the domino effect of change that will bring about such things. Currently, I am working towards making myself healthier. I have struggled pretty much my whole life with my mental health. Just like I had with college, I have often ignored my battles with mental health. I never spent much time focusing on what I could do to better it. Rather, I tried to busy myself by pilling so much on my plate that I don't have enough time to think about what I was struggling with. I'm trying to change that. I have started on some medications and am looking into therapy. If I want to do good for others, I need to do good for myself first.

Knowledge shapes every aspect of our lives. Yes, it gives us the information we need to function, but it also allows us to live happily and prosperously. Without knowledge, we would be stranded in a desolate world with next to nothing. Even when we aren't paying attention, we are constantly learning. From the moment we are born, we are analyzing our world. We use what we learn to shape our behaviors to be better suited to the ways of the world. Learning holds a special place in my heart. My whole life, I have always been praised for the way I retain knowledge. I love to learn, but I also love to teach. I stand by the fact that knowledge is power, so it only makes sense that I try to spread my knowledge to those around me. Ever since I started school, I have been someone my peers felt they could go to when they were stuck. I happily obliged. If we share our knowledge, what we can accomplish is limitless. We can do so much good if we simply take the time to learn about the world around us. This brings me to how I plan to continue my learning. I, of course, intend on going to college. Typically, people think this is where learning ends. They often have the mindset that once they graduate, they've finished their learning, but I see it much differently. Rather, I believe that school itself is just the beginning. Completing your schooling is the first step on your journey of learning. The next chapter of your life should involve you learning from people. Observe how things make them feel and how they interact with the world. People are our greatest source of knowledge. We can learn so much more from society than we can ever learn from a textbook. That is why I want to major in political science. I want to focus on learning how I can better observe the way that our societal structures affect people. They need someone on their side and I feel that is something they are not getting right now. I want to learn about what they need as well as how they feel so that I can be their voice. I refuse to be ignored. I'm going to make positive, long-lasting changes in this world. Learning will not only be on my journey to reach those changes, but it will be a tool in constant use for maintaining good.

English is arguably the backbone of our society. The transfer of ideas has easily paved its way into the center of our lives. Much of such transferring would not be possible without English composition, yet its importance is often vastly overlooked. We use it to communicate, inform, as wells as persuade. Politics is riddled with persuasive writing. However, much of these writings are filled with false or exaggerated information. People deserve to know the truth about ongoing happenings, but that is something they are not receiving with our current news broadcasting. Instead, they are consuming media bias constantly. I want to bring more accuracy and transparency to political writing so people can form their own thoughts rather than have a pre-established belief fed to them. That is why I intend to complete a dual major in political science and English. If we lost sight of the importance of English, we would also lose many of the valuable thoughts society has to offer. Literature composition has been used to criticize the ways of the world for nearly as language has been established. Writing is one of the best ways to present your feelings on a topic. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and writing gives them an audience to project their ideas out into the world. Oftentimes, the voices of marginalized groups are suppressed. If you are anything outside of a checklist of criteria, you are often talked over or not listened to. Even when I may not agree with their opinion, I want to use writing to give a voice to people who feel as though they don't have one. Everyone deserves to be heard. We a far from living in a world of equality, so it is important for me as a white woman to use my privilege to aid others. All in all, I think English should be used to make a difference. I can only do so much as one person, but I hope to inspire others to strive for the same change I am. Composing English writing will give me the opportunity to bring good into the world. If I can make even the smallest of differences, I will consider myself accomplished. Good is good no matter the scale. It doesn't matter to me if I improve the life of one person or a million people. I am simply hoping to make some kind of an improvement.

Although we encounter it on a daily basis, people often overlook science's impacts on our life. Its life-saving, awe-inspiring, and thought-provoking nature has shaped the world to be what we now know it as. Without it, we would have no medicines, no nutrition knowledge, no understanding of preserving our health, and no technology. The list of things that our lives would lack if we didn't pursue science is seemingly never-ending. If we did not have science, we would not have society. Science teaches us the fundamentals of our world as well as the importance of cause-and-effect relations. Knowledge of these two things allows us to create systems based on our needs. If we know what environment plants thrive in, we can provide them with such an environment, which, in turn, provides us with a more plentiful crop. If we know that polluting our air damages the ozone layer, we can take the necessary steps to reduce our pollution levels in order to protect our atmosphere, giving humans more time on Earth. Not only does science teach us what systems we need to create, but it also teaches us about how these systems impact people. While we often create systems that solve the initial issue at hand, those solutions tend to pose other problems for society. Take the American political system, for example. Our country was in need of a government because science tells us that things function best when there is order, so one was created. However, while creating a government provided us with the order we needed, it created other long-lasting issues by suppressing the voices and needs of the marginalized. This suppression is precisely why want to pursue political science. We live in societies where we often don't realize how one thing may be negatively affecting another. Studying the complexity that the systems science told us to form between people and government is the first step in undoing some of this negativity. I intend to learn what makes government function. With that information, I'm going to deconstruct our political systems with the intent of replacing them with better, more beneficial ones. Our society is desperately in need of change, and I want to use my love for science to inspire that change. If I can make even the smallest of differences, I will consider myself successful. Improving the life of even a single person would be an amazing feat in my book. Science is going to help me do good in this world. I hope to educate others on the impact that science has on everything around us.

I find all education important, but higher education is especially important to me. Higher education is often used to signify success which I agree with wholeheartedly. Now, this is not to say you can't be successful without higher education. Rather, I mean that people who go on to get higher education are successful individuals. Higher education is not an easy feat. Reaching a level of higher education shows a drive that not everyone poses. Obstacles have been tossed in my path all my life. Between finical issues, mental health conditions, and an absent mother, I often thought I would never reach a point in my life where going to college would be an option for me. Although I knew I was smart, I thought my struggles would dig a hole for me I would never be able to get out of. I can't help but feel accomplished now that I have entered a stage in life where I'm confident I will be able to attend college. Pursuing higher education will help me to do good in the world. Our world is full of problems that are very much in need of solutions. I am striving to be the one to come up with such solutions. I want to major in political science so that I can learn to inner workings of the system in order to be able to reform them. In spite of the fact that everyone deserves equal rights and opportunities, they are not getting them. I want to make the world fair for everyone regardless of where they came from, what they've done, and where they're going. The world needs change and higher education will help me bring about such change. The biggest reason higher education is important to me is because my pursement of higher education will inspire my nine younger siblings to follow the same path I have. I always try to set a good example for them. People often do as they see, and if they are seeing positive action, they will likely have positive actions themselves. If one person's positivity can make change, what the positivity of nine people do? Ultimately, it is clear that higher education is undoubtedly important. I hope the next generation will feel the same level of accomplishment I do upon finding themselves able to further their education. Creating a domino effect of do-gooders is certain to provoke long lasting, undeniably promising change. We just have to take things one step at a time. That first domino falling over will trigger a chain-reaction. I hope to be the first domino in my family.

For as long as I can remeber, I have wanted to make a lasting positive impact on the lives of others. Our world is full of awful things, but one of the worst issues facing modern society is the inequality marganilaized groups experience. Between unfair standards, limited opportunities, and suppression of voices, our systems seem to be trying to make anyone who doesn't fit within certain criteria fail. I want to take steps to give everyone a voice and a place in our society. No one should fail The best way I can think to do this is by persuing political science. By learning the interworking of politics, I can begin to deconstruct our harmful systems. Replacing them with ones that promote political, social, and economic success for all people rather than for only the straight, white, Christian men who tend to dominate in the aforementioned categories will create a better quality of life. The world we live in is desperately in need of change, so even if I can only make a small difference, I will consider myself triumphant. Everyone deserves an equal shot at life. I am aiming to ensure that we all get one, regardless of our backgrounds.

Call me cliche, but I love math because I am good at it. Math has always come easy to me. I was doing multiplication and long division before I could read much more than sight words. Being so adept at math has presented me with a lot of opportunities to help people which is something I always try to do. I tutor people for free because I feel the power of educating is worth so much more than any monetary amount. Many things in our world are ever-changing, but math is one thing that can always be relied on to remain the same. Math's consistency is another thing that makes me love it. I don't enjoy change especially when it is unexpected. I much prefer when things remain fixed. I know that two plus two will always equal four, but I, while I can make a reasonable guess, I can't be sure that it isn't going to suddenly start storming. Math gives me something I can always count on, which is something much needed in my chaotic life.

My siblings, parents, and peers all had one thing in common while I was growing up: "Little Miss Perfect." This was the nickname I was given as a child due to my adeptness with academics. Although it may seem like harmless teasing from the outside looking in, I am a touch neurodivergent and took the epithet to be literal. I felt I had to go above and beyond in everything I did to keep up with the title. When I found I wasn't good at something, I chose not to do it to protect the "perfection" I was perceived with. As I have grown older, I have come to understand that they weren't looking at me as a perfect person, but that I was being belittled for my strives toward achievement; however, even though I now know perfection to be an impossible feat, I cannot help but still continuously avoid things that I'm not extraordinarily good at. That title caused me to learn a harmful habit I'm not sure I'll be able to unlearn no matter how hard I may try. My need to prove myself has followed me throughout my school career. My classmates have often come to me for assistance with their work. Getting older eventually meant more people knew about my giftedness which, in turn, led to more people seeking me out for help. It got to a point where I was helping so many people that I began prioritizing others' schoolwork over my own. I was helping the people I thought were my friends edit their essays and complete their projects before I had even begun my outline or bought my materials. In reality, most of these people didn't consider me their friend. They were using me as a means to achieve their ends. I was a tool for them. A resource, not a companion. Other gifted children often face the same heartbreaking fate I did. They are made fun of for their talents, yet taken advantage of by those same people who tease them. This can often lead to them feeling like they don't belong and are worth nothing more than their minds. School being a safe space where they can be themselves is paramount for gifted children, yet our systems alienate their bright minds and are designed to make them feel they are only valued for their intelligence. Political science may seem to be a peculiar way of approaching this, but that is my intended major. I want to study the inner workings of our political system and its involvement in education. Using that knowledge, I want to create funding for programs that will band similarly gifted kids together. A sense of community is the absolute best we to promote social-emotional well-being in children - or anyone for that matter. It helps them feel they have people to turn to in their life. I also want to further introduce funding for Quiz Bowl, an academic-based trivia competition, to our schools. Quiz Bowl would be a great way to intellectually stimulate gifted kids on their own terms with a group of similarly exceptional kids. My experience as a gifted child was not a good one. Everyone expected the world from me, and if I didn't have the world to give, I wasn't good enough. I never want anyone to feel the way I did. I'm going to strive to make our education system better suited for the bright minds of our future.

In my eyes, feminism can easily be described as striving for equality in all aspects regardless of gender assignment or identification. We live in a world where women - both cis-gendered and transgendered - are held to the same expectations as our male counterparts, but are not given the same tools to accomplish such expectations. Rather than provide us with such tools, we are belittled for not being able to keep up. As women, we deserve to have the same opportunities as any man receives. It is unjust to provide men with any and every resource they could possibly need, yet leave women to their own devices. Women and men are equal. Let's start acting like it. Growing up, I often thought feminism was a bad thing. The men in my life made it sound as though women who were feminists were dirty and wrong. It was implied that a feminist believed women were better than men and deserved more rights than them. This made me view feminism in a negative light. It wasn't until I developed a close relationship with my older cousin that I started to truly understand what feminism was. Torri, my older cousin, is a prime example of a feminist. She grew up with the world doing everything it could to knock her down, but, instead of sitting down and taking it, she transpired. The opportunities the world was giving her, she deemed not good enough, so she made her own opportunity. An art business formed from the ground up, hours upon hours of hard work, and a drive to prove herself all shaped Torri's success. In a world where woman's voices are constantly being silenced, she created an outlet for her voice that no one could take. I know no better example of a strong, independent woman in my life than Torri. I would consider myself to be the voice for women who would otherwise go unheard in my community. We live in a society that is persistently trying to keep women from speaking up and that I something I will not stand for. I refuse to let a woman's voice go unheard. If she is being talked over, I will speak louder. If she is being ignored, I will persist. If she is being put down, I will stand up. We have to fight back against those who try to take our voices from us which is why I want to go into political science. I will ensure we are no longer ignoring the voices of women by being a voice that is unignorable. We will be heard.

The following poem entitled "My Mental Health" was the first I ever wrote. I was at the lowest point in my life. My mental health was crippling me. I was desperately in search of a way to release the negative energy polluting my brain, but I didn't know where to start. Around this same time, we were starting our poetry unit in my English class. I decided to give it a go. What could it hurt? Although I did eventually succeed, it proved to be harder than I thought. I spent hours writing and rewriting until I came up with something remotely up to my standards. I'm still not quite happy with how the poem turned out; however, it did make a huge difference in overcoming the hurdle my mental health was presenting me with. My Mental Health Motivation lacking, feeling like I'm stuck You're all fearful I'm getting too far off track My friends are wishing me the best of luck Entertain me as I stare face to face with my panic attack Never-ending is this cycle of stress Tell me why this is so hard All I know is my life is a mess Let down my guard? How can I when I'm worried I'm going crazy Everything is so difficult now, I feel sick Averse to mundane tasks, portray me as lazy Lie to me, say this was all some cruel trick There are harmful things I need to remove How else can I improve? Poetry has helped me come to understand the power of words. A simple sentence (or in the case of a poem: a simple stanza) can be life-altering. Politics is a field riddled with misinformation and negatively impacting persuasive writing. I want to encourage a new era of politics by bringing in writing with a more positive influence. I aspire to make changes in our world and I firmly believe that proper writing will make an enormous impact on that.

Be it a family member, a friend, or a pet, we all encounter type of loss in our lives. The first memorable loss I experienced was in October of 2017. I remember it was a beautiful outside -sunny while also especially warm for a fall. I walked through my front door after an unremarkable day of 6th grade and could immediately feel the tension in the air. Something felt wrong. My dad called me into his bedroom looking more grim than I had ever seen him. My aunt Miranda - my mom's older sister - had died. When he told me the news it was like my world shattered into a million pieces. I had never lost anyone close to me up until this point. I naively thought it could never happen to me. I grew up with my mother almost never around. She battled with drug addiction and was in and out of jail my whole childhood. I was never as important to her as her next high. Some people would consider my mother's absence my first loss, but I don't. You can't lose something you never had. Miranda's attempts be the mother figure I was lacking went unparalleled. She treated my equal to the way she treated her own daughters. I got to have all the things with her I never got to with my own mother. She would braid my hair as I told her about my day. We painted one another's nails. I told her about my crushes. We cried together over my mom. In every way but birth, Miranda was a mom to my eleven-year-old self. For the first few months after losing her, it felt as though my world was in shambles. I barely at or slept, I had no motivation, and I didn't want to socialize. It was the most depressed I had ever been. Slowly but surely, I began to climb out of the hole my depression had dug. Rather than focus on how I was feeling, I tried to imagine what Miranda would want me to be doing with my life. She was a kind, helpful, and thoughtful person, so I try to have the same qualities. I aspire to be someone like her. I want to become someone she would be proud of. College is my idea of the first step in becoming that person. I intend on majoring in political science with the intent of studying and improving the flaws of our system. I'm driven to make change. Making the world a better place one step at a time is something I know Miranda would be proud of me for.