As a rising freshman at Western New England University, I am excited to study psychology. This field is important to me because many LGBTQ+ individuals face trauma from unsupportive families or mental health issues, often with little access to psychological help. I want to make a difference in their lives, helping them feel safe and accepted. Throughout high school, I have been actively involved in the LGBTQ+ community. As president of my school's Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), I have worked hard to create a safe space for students to explore their identities and gender. We held meetings where members could share their experiences, ask questions, and support one another. I also organized events to raise awareness about LGBTQ+ issues and foster acceptance within our school. This role has taught me the importance of leadership, empathy, and community support. In addition to my work with the GSA, I served as the student council president and a member of the student senate. These positions allowed me to advocate for all students, ensuring their voices were heard. I also volunteered within the community, participating in events and initiatives that supported LGBTQ+ youth. My work with Upstream Teen Mental Health Education was particularly meaningful, as it gave me the chance to help educate my peers about mental health and the unique challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals. Balancing these responsibilities with my part-time jobs at Outback Steakhouse and Silo Brunch Bar taught me the value of hard work and time management. These experiences have shaped me into a dedicated and compassionate person, committed to making a positive impact. Receiving the Star Farm Scholarship would be invaluable to me financially. As a bisexual, gender-fluid person, I have faced unique challenges which have led me to wanting to help others with their identity through my career. However, the cost of higher education is significant, and this scholarship would ease the financial burden, allowing me to focus more on my studies and community involvement. I am committed to giving back to the LGBTQ+ community. My goal is to become a psychologist specializing in LGBTQ+ mental health. I want to help those who have experienced trauma and mental health issues, providing them with the support and resources they need to thrive. I believe that everyone deserves to feel safe, accepted, and understood, and I am dedicated to making that a reality. In conclusion, my experiences within the LGBTQ+ community have shaped my goals and aspirations. I am passionate about studying psychology to help those in need and continue making a positive impact. The Star Farm Scholarship would not only support my education but also enable me to give back to the community that has given me so much. Thank you for considering my application.

If I could make one change to the world, I would make it more empathetic. No one realizes it, but we are emotionally blind to so much of the world around us. All we need is more empathy to fix it. So many of the world's issues revolve around selfishness. Why not feel for others instead of just yourself? Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. Imagine a world where people genuinely cared about each other's struggles and joys. Conflicts would be reduced, and cooperation would increase. As someone who has served as the student council president and GSA president, I have seen firsthand how empathy can transform a community. In these roles, I made it a point to listen to everyone's concerns and try to understand their perspectives. It made our school a more inclusive and supportive place. My interest in psychology at Western New England University is rooted in my desire to understand human behavior and emotions better. By studying psychology, I hope to gain the skills and knowledge needed to promote empathy on a larger scale. Mental health is a significant aspect of empathy, and my work at Upstream Teen Mental Health Education has shown me how vital it is to address these issues early on. When we empathize with others' mental health struggles, we can provide better support and reduce stigma. Being a Native American, I have been taught since birth the importance of empathy for all things, not just myself and not just in humans but in understanding diverse identities and spirits. My background has taught me that everyone has unique experiences and challenges. By fostering empathy, we can create a world where people feel seen and valued for who they are. Volunteering within the community has also reinforced my belief in the power of empathy. Whether it is helping at local events or supporting those in need, these experiences have shown me that small acts of kindness can make a big difference. Empathy drives us to take action and make the world a better place. Working at Outback Steakhouse and Silo Brunch Bar, I have learned that empathy is essential in any job. Understanding customers' needs and treating coworkers with kindness creates a positive environment for everyone. These experiences have taught me that empathy is not just a personal trait but a valuable skill in any setting. As a rising college freshman, I am eager to continue developing my understanding of empathy and its impact on the world. By studying psychology, I hope to contribute to a more empathetic society. I believe that empathy can address many of the world's problems, from social injustice to mental health crises. If we all took a moment to feel for others instead of just ourselves, we could create a more compassionate and connected world. In conclusion, making the world more empathetic is the change I would choose. Empathy has the power to transform our interactions, communities, and society as a whole. By promoting empathy, we can address selfishness and create a world where everyone feels understood and valued.

Jeremiah is a better option for Belly. Isabella Conklin is a girl who is bubbly, self-centered and daring. She seems like she's always waiting for something new, something exciting, or someone to talk to. Who better to match this energy than Jeremiah Fischer, the confident extrovert we all love. He's rarely seen without a smile on his face or a witty joke on hand. He’s everything a girl could want and more. Belly's heart may go back to Conrad often but I believe if she gives Jeremiah a genuine chance and tries to keep Conrad in the past, she could start to see just how amazing he is for her. Conrad isn't a bad choice but he's not the best. Conrad often gets emotionally closed off, rude, and emotionally distraught. He closes himself off to the point of unintentionally hurting others. Even though his character positively develops throughout the series, it doesn't make the things he said in the past forgivable and Belly hardly holds him accountable. Within some of his first moments in season one, he already smokes, drinks, and kisses a girl he took to the Deb ball even though he said "Debs are sheep" and swore off Deb balls. Later on in the season, it's Belly's birthday. Conrad gets her an infinity necklace to symbolize their connection is never ending and never starting, that it just always has existed and will always exist. This is a sweet gesture until it's time for him to give it to her and he breaks her heart by claiming he forgot to get a gift instead of giving her the necklace. This same day, Jeremiah gives her a charm in the shape of a key which makes her smile. Who would rather date someone who breaks your heart then fixes it over someone who gets it right the first time? Jeremiah is always there for everyone, no matter what happens. When Belly, Steven, and Laurel arrive at Cousins Beach, Jeremiah is waiting there with what Insider TV claims is “the warm welcome (Belly) deserves”. They even go as far as saying when “she sees Conrad with his girlfriend Nicole, he is incredibly rude to her, dismisses her, and calls her a brat. However, the minute Jeremiah sees her, he is so excited and welcoming and exclaims how happy he is that she came”. Conrad’s actions are not forgivable while Jeremiahs are above and beyond welcoming. This leads to the moments at the beach and the lake when Belly needed a shoulder to lean on most and Jeremiah was the one helping her and always looking out for her. Even throughout season two, after Belly breaks Jeremiah’s heart so harshly, he’s still loyal to her and never wants to stop trying to have something with her. Jeremiah is loyal, funny, sweet, and always there for Belly. He doesn't betray her or hurt her as Conrad has. Jeremiah will always and forever have my vote as the one who is right for Belly.

Leadership to me, is the act of a person going out of their way to guide and direct others with kindness, compassion, honesty, positivity, and selflessness. Its one of the best qualities that a person can possess as its able to change not just one peer, one community, one state or even just one country but it has the ability to change and influence the entire world as we know it. Leadership is necessary for change. I, personally, have learned to be a leader from a very young age. I learned to cook full meals for my family from the age of seven so I could take care of them when they were sick. I research the medical field so I can look out for signs of serious illness and know exactly what to do if the people around me get sick. I started advocating for lgbtq+ rights in 6th grade by going to pride parades, joining my schools GSA club for six years and being the president of it for three, going to the district wide GSA meetings, and participating in GLSEN's day of silence. I became a student task force adviser to the company Upstream to help them better understand what struggles teens go through with mental health in school so we could work together to bring better knowledge of coping mechanisms to students across the country. Taking initiative to do these things is incredibly important to me as it is the only way to work towards improvement of myself and the entire community around me. Leading helps me find more opportunities for me to grow as a person, all socially, mentally, and physically. There will never be change if there isnt someone to lead it. Murthin Luther King Jr. even stated in his speech “The Domestic Impact of War" that “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus," only further proving the importance of guiding others and influencing rather than just sitting back and being quiet. Leadership is needed to speek up, to get your point across, and to help others understand your opinion; it takes time, confidence, and persistency. Leaders are inspiring, compassionate, strong willed, and witty. The world would not be what it is today if there was not leadership. Leadership has been and will always be a key factor in changing lives, changing systems, and changing the entire world for the better.

If I could have everyone in the world read just one book, I would make them read a magical book that changes the entirity of the story depending on who the reader is. The book would analyze their most enthralling intersts and would make a captivating story for them that includes everything the reader could ever ask for. I would make them read this so they can have the opportunity to fall in love with reading just like me and so they can find out the wonders that lay within the pages of a book. It would not only encourage the readers to read more but it would cause a snowball effect that would lead to more people being inspiried to become authors, better literacy rates across the country, more funding to libraries so they can expand their book collections, and more libraries being built so more people could have access to books. Theres no one singular book everyone would like, no genre is for everyone and having people to read something they dont enjoy may just make them like books less. Its the same with writing style too, theres no one writing style everyone loves, but if there was a possibility of having everyone read a book that was fine tuned to fit their exact interests, wants, and needs, it would be monumental for the reading communities across the globe. I believe everyone should have an opportunity to read something they love and to give books a chance and this book would do exactly that.

Leadership is one of the best qualities that a person can possess as its able to change not just one peer, one community, or one country but it has the ability to change and influence the entire world as we know it. Leadership to me, is the act of a person going out of their way to guide and direct others with kindness, compassion, honesty, positivity, and selflessness. I, personally, have learned to be a leader from a very young age. I learned to cook full meals for my family from the age of seven so I could take care of them when they were sick. I research the medical field so I can look out for signs of serious illness and know exactly what to do if the people around me get sick. I started advocating for lgbtq+ rights in 6th grade by going to pride parades, joining my schools GSA club for six years and being the president of it for three, going to the district wide GSA meetings, and participating in GLSEN's day of silence. I became a student task force adviser to the company Upstream to help them better understand what struggles teens go through with mental health in school so we could work together to bring better knowledge of coping mechanisms to students across the country. I try hard to help out whenever and whereever I can but there was one instance of leadership in my life that really stands out to me the most. That instance was just after my grandmother's cancer diagnosis. My family found out my grandmother had cancer in May of 2023. She is an amazing woman who is the backbone of our family. She is the one who taught me how to be a leader and how to be strong even when others can't be. Her diagnosis didnt set her back but no matter how many questions my family asked her about it, no one could get a direct answer about it and no one fully understood the situation. A month after the cancer was found, she was hospitalized. She could barely function and still no one had a direct answer of what was going on. As things took a turn for the worst, I realized this would be a perfect opportunity to talk to the doctor and get answers to everyone questions. My mom and I were off the hospital soon after and we waited an hour for the doctor. When he arrived, he explained that she had stage four lung cancer that was metastasising, spreading into her bones, causing a fluid build up that collapsed her right lung, and caused over 40 blood clots. After finding this out, I spent the next two hours calling everyone in our family to explain her state. It was hard repeating it over and over but I knew I had to be strong and selfless so everyone could get the answers they deserved. While she was in the hospital, I took initiative to help around her house as well, I deweeded her garden, trimmed her bushes, power-washed her house, brought her meals, and so much more. I started going to her house weekly and encouraging my family to do so too which led to them reconnecting with her. In the end, as I took a leadership role, I was able to help my family fully understand a family emergency, help out my grandmother with chores she is no longer physically able to do, reconnect my family, and encourage them to help my grandmother out as well.