At a young age, I frequently watched movies of doctors saving people's lives and curing humanity. Although I knew being a doctor took more effort and commitment than what was displayed on the screen, I had the spirit in my heart and the ambition in my mind to become a doctor one day. Going into my freshman year, a new door opened toward my dreams of doctorhood, and I energetically absorbed all the knowledge of the sciences that my teachers taught me. Through my Sophomore and Junior years, I took every chance to find ways to gain experience in real medical clinics and hospitals because I knew opportunities like these were never open to my parents growing up. Given the chance to work at Providence St. Jude Medical Center in the summer, I furthered my journey to be that future doctor I once looked up to. Working in St. Jude's Rehabilitation Department, I could physically respond to patients' needs while learning the various ailments and protocols. I realized that the patients' mental health and comfort level are crucial elements to a better recovery. Although my volunteering position only required me to pick up phones and send patient requests to available nurses, my sense of belonging and purpose in the department drove me to become an agent of hospitality and joy. By simply visiting patient rooms and attending to requests with a friendly smile, I took a holistic and extensive approach to dissipate the gloom of the hospital experience and help make the monotonous days more lively for people who really need it. As I entered patient rooms with a gentle smile and a warm "How are you doing this evening," I became a source of light, even just a flicker, into the lives of people who needed comfort and companionship. By being a compassionate and energetic presence, I visibly saw the anxiety and worry of patients vanquish. Similarly, I regularly kept myself busy and attended to nurses who seemed stressed and worn out. I frequently looked for work to be done and lent a caring hand to the nurses who worked long hours with me. Seeing the numerous stresses and busyness of the workplace, I recognized the consistent dedication of the nurses I worked with and was given an even greater motivation to enter the field. I wanted to be a part of the action that outsiders called chaos. I wanted to be the help for those who needed it the most, the medic with the cure. Every interaction I had with medical professionals and recovering patients gave me a glimpse into a paradise, a world I wanted to be a part of forever. I wanted a career in medicine. With the opportunity given to me, I continued to work to become the doctor: the one to bring a cure to pains and stresses, the one to initiate the speedy recovery, the one to bring the rainbow when the storm clears. This is my reason for medicine.

FLAT BASKET NOON SET DECK REST PICKLE MURDER TIDE RISE BASE NATURAL FOOT FLOCK SHARP LIGHTER FLAT, REST, NATURAL, SHARP (musical notations) BASKET, PICKLE, BASE, FOOT (sports that end in "ball") TIDE, NOON, LIGHTER, RISE (high __) SET, DECK, MURDER, FLOCK (groups of things) Here is a connections that I have created myself. The yellow group would be "groups of things," the green group would be "sports that end in 'ball,'" the blue group would be "musical notations," and the purple group would be "high __. " I love playing NYT Connections. I play the puzzle daily because it helps me become a better abstract and creative thinker. Whenever I am able to solve a group and complete the entire puzzle for the day, I am overjoyed and feel an overwhelming feeling of success for my accomplishments. Without this game, I would be very bored in my AP Biology class. Whenever I play the New York Times Games, I end up being surprised or very happy with the solutions. I always try to improve my time, think deeper, and keep striving to complete the puzzle without any hints or websites. I have introduced this game to friends and family everywhere.

At a young age, my father was taken away from me. I didn't understand it at the time. Why did the police come knocking on our front door, shouting my father's name? Why did I have to hide in the bathroom with my one-year-old sister and my mother, who was holding us tight, pressing her feet up against the door? My father was an evil man: a cheat and an abuser. His actions now impact our lives in the way a domino starts to cascade. Middle school was hard for me and my mom received financial aid to keep me in school, but many times, another year of classes seemed almost out of reach. One night, I slowly crept out of my room to hear soft crying and mumbling from the dinner table. Tears flowing from her eyes, with her hands held in a praying position, I could hear my mom mumble, "Please, God, help my son get into a good high school." I went back into my room and closed my eyes, thinking. It was then I realized how I could step up. I decided to strive to get a scholarship. Day after day, week upon week, every trimester, I worked hard in school to bring home good grades, hoping to achieve that scholarship. At last, on my 8th-grade graduation, my name was called for the Notre Dame Scholarship. While my mom's tears of joy were motivators, I discovered I had the ability to change my trajectory and had control of what I could achieve. Learning soon became a window to the world for me. I have carried this throughout my high school career - yes, to keep the scholarship - but more importantly, to reach my potential and achieve in ways I thought impossible when my father left us. Thus, my academic accomplishments in middle school and my continued perseverance in my studies in high school helped me realize that I could be the master of my own future, the captain of my own sea. Although the "loss" of my father left me heartbroken and seeking recognition and love in life, I subsequently figured out what to do in life to become the man I wanted to be. I decided not to mourn over my losses and mope in my mistakes but to rise up above the ashes of my dark childhood and create a new future where I could thrive and quench my thirst for knowledge. Thus, I understood myself better and continue to work towards becoming the best version of myself.

I love math because it is a pathway into the very depths of the universe and our understanding of the natural world. Each number, variable, and math symbol we use helps us gain a greater understanding of who we are and why we are on this earth. Math, and its various subsectors, such as physics, chemistry, and statistics, help us keep track of the natural law of the earth, the stars, and the planets. With simple math symbols, we can become masters of the natural world, understanding complex laws of gravity, magnetism, electricity, atomic theory, motion, energy, power, and data. Math is like the language of the stars. By understanding complex math equations and utilizing the works of the ancient philosophers and mathematicians of the Old World, we can understand why we are here in the first place. Calculus can help us determine the movement and rates of change in celestial bodies, trigonometry can help us determine the true shape of our earth and the scale of the universe, and statistics can help us determine the reliability of our measurements based on recorded data. Thus, math is our key to opening the door to the infinite possibilities that the universe contains. Math is the language of the stars and the key to the very soul of the universe. This is why I love math.

In every human being is the endless pursuit of meaning, of purpose. Over the years, I've realized that my meaning is my unending commitment to a life of service to others. Success is the point when I achieve my meaning, my life of service to others. At a young age, I frequently watched movies of doctors saving peoples' lives and curing humanity. Although I knew being a doctor took more effort and commitment than what was displayed on the screen, I had the spirit in my heart and the ambition in my mind to become a doctor one day. Going into my freshman year, a new door opened toward my dreams of doctorhood, and I energetically absorbed all the knowledge of the sciences that my teachers taught me. Through my Sophomore and Junior years, I took every chance to find ways to gain experience in real medical clinics and hospitals because I knew opportunities like these were never open to my parents growing up. Given the opportunity to work at Providence St. Jude Medical Center in the summer, I furthered my journey to be that future doctor I once looked up to. Working in St. Jude's Rehabilitation Department, I was able to physically respond to the needs of patients while learning the various ailments and protocols. I came to realize that the patients' mental health and comfort level are a huge element to a better recovery. By simply visiting patient rooms and attending to requests with a friendly smile, I take a holistic approach to dissipate the gloom of the hospital experience and help make the monotonous days more lively for people who really need it. By being a compassionate and energetic presence, I visibly saw the anxiety and worry of patients vanquish. Likewise, as I play the piano for the clinic, the animated melody helps bring passersby away from the stresses of the hospital to a place of peace, knowing that everything will be alright. With the opportunity given to me, I work to become the doctor: the one to bring a cure to pains and stresses, the one to initiate the speedy recovery, the one to bring the rainbow when the storm clears. This is the path that I will take to become the best version of myself, the path to success. With this scholarship, I will be a step closer to reaching my goal of becoming the greatest doctor that I can be, a doctor who puts his life forward for others and is not afraid to be in the face of adversity. With this scholarship, I can focus on my learning and self-improvement without the fear of losing time to work shifts for my tuition or losing years of college to a deficit in finances. This scholarship will not make me complacent but rather, it will strengthen my willpower and my drive and thirst for knowledge and learning. This scholarship will only boost my confidence in achieving my life's mission, my purpose, my dream. This scholarship will help me become the doctor I always dreamt of becoming.