Growing up, I always enjoyed being creative and learning new things. I often wondered about all the different paths my future career could take. Throughout my school years, I thought about becoming a teacher, a lawyer, a business entrepreneur, or an interior designer. However, I eventually realized these paths were not my true niche. During the past year, while visiting campuses and college open houses, I realized that I want a career based more on my strengths, which have always been English, writing, business, and digital media. This, ultimately, is why I decided to pursue a career in Digital Marketing. I find that a career in Digital Marketing and Media will allow me to touch on all the aspects I want in a future career. I have always been interested in areas that allow me to be creative. At the same time, I would love to pursue business. My dream job is to either work as a digital marketer for a company I am passionate about or start my own digital design business. I hope to be able to work with inspiring companies that are taking steps to better our world. As a young girl, I feel it is very important to keep empowering other girls as I go off to college and adult life. My hope is to be able to use my career to help support female-owned businesses. I also aim to keep volunteering and helping others through my future job. I have always had big plans for my future, but now I can truly see my vision coming together as I finish my first year of college. I am currently studying digital marketing at Baldwin Wallace University. I got accepted into the honors college as well. This immediately added to both my workload and course requirements. This results in more money and time needed to devote to my work. I am also a collegiate athlete and play tennis for Baldwin Wallace. This adds another activity on top of my schoolwork. I am currently working on campus as a student assistant to help offset the debt, but I wish to focus most of my time on my studies. By receiving a scholarship, I will be able to focus more on excelling in my studies and obtain all the opportunities I need to succeed. One of my biggest fears would be being unable to finish college due to the overwhelming finances that come with schooling. With the help of scholarships, I can make my way through college with less stress and more time to focus on my studies.

In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, the need for companies to integrate sustainable practices has become increasingly important. I feel that the concept of sustainability will not only draw in customers but will make our planet a healthier and better place. When businesses ignore these pressing issues, it takes a toll on our planet. We can only ignore these practices until our lives change for the worse. I believe it is essential for businesses to implement sustainable practices. In addition, I have come up with some eco-friendly practices businesses can use to reduce their carbon footprint. Businesses must implement sustainable practices to meet the growing demand for eco-conscious products and services. With increased environmental awareness, modern consumers seek businesses that prioritize sustainability. Companies that fail to align with these evolving consumer preferences risk losing customers and tarnishing their reputations. As someone who makes an effort to shop for sustainable clothing, I am aware of what brands align with these values and which do not. If a brand is not sustainable I am not going to purchase clothes from there unless I am getting it second hand. The idea of shopping sustainably is growing increasingly popular, if businesses do not align themselves with these preferences they can risk shutting down. This not only applies to clothing but an extremely wide variety of categories. Therefore, integrating sustainable practices allows businesses to stay relevant and ahead of the growing markets for sustainability. In addition, climate change and environmental degradation threaten global supply chains, operations, and infrastructure. So if businesses do not understand and prepare for these risks, they can possibly run into many problems in the future. There are many examples of actions businesses can take to reduce their carbon footprint. The first is using renewable energy. Transitioning to renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric power, is an easy strategy for businesses to reduce carbon emissions. Companies can install solar panels, purchase renewable energy, or just invest in renewable energy projects. By embracing renewable energy, businesses can lower their carbon footprint, decrease energy costs, and showcase their commitment to environmental sustainability. The second action is using sustainable transportation practices. Businesses can reduce their carbon footprint by implementing sustainable transportation practices throughout their operations This includes planning out transportation routes to minimize fuel consumption, promoting the use of public transportation, carpooling, and spreading awareness to employees so they can be more conscious. Businesses easily can encourage the usage of transportation modes such as biking or walking to work. By prioritizing sustainable transportation, businesses can reduce emissions associated with transportation activities and contribute to the stopping of climate change. Finally, businesses can start waste reduction and recycling programs in their facilities. This is another effective strategy for businesses to reduce their carbon footprint and promote resource conservation. Companies can implement measures such as reducing packaging materials, reusing materials, and making efforts to establish recycling bins to recycle materials to divert waste from landfills. By adopting waste reduction and recycling initiatives, businesses can conserve natural resources, and contribute to building a more sustainable future. In conclusion, implementing sustainable practices is essential for businesses to thrive in today's environmentally conscious business environment. Through eco-friendly practices such as renewable energy adoption, sustainable transportation practices, and waste reduction and recycling programs, businesses can reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to addressing pressing environmental challenges. All while maintaining their spot in their market and ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come.

I have always been someone who feels my emotions deeply. Ever since I was little, I was the girl who felt terrible for her stuffed animals if they were dropped or offered to play with someone sitting alone on the playground. I used to view this as a weakness. Then, I discovered Taylor Swift's music in 2014. From an early age, Taylor Swift taught me that all emotions are valid. I was lucky to be able to go to the Eras tour this summer. I have never experienced such a vibrant, exciting, and inclusive environment. The sense of camaraderie while trading bracelets and singing with thousands of others to Taylor’s songs was magical. But that magic did not last, as I faced one of the most challenging months of my life right after. I was struggling with the thought of leaving my friends, boyfriend, and family behind and going off to college. But things got much more difficult than I imagined. On August 11th, my Mom called me and told me that my Grandma, who was receiving heart surgery that day, had passed away. I was heartbroken. I immediately went to the hospital and sat among my devastated family members as the doctor explained that my Grandma’s heart had given out during the procedure. Losing a loved one is traumatic, but knowing I had to leave for college not even a week later was a lot for me to handle. I wanted to stay with my family so we could support each other. But I told myself I had to stay strong and deal. After my move-in day, I realized that I was not going about this in the right way. I could not suppress my emotions if I wanted to heal. As the Eras tour showed me, feeling your emotions and finding support in others is okay. So, instead of staying on campus for my first weekend of college, I went home and spent time with my family. After a week in classes, I felt better and was coping healthily. But this was not the end; I was hit with another heartbreak. My boyfriend broke up with me. This was one of my biggest fears going into college. I once again was devastated. This was my first breakup, but Taylor Swift has publicly gone through many. I remember the Eras tour and how Taylor would perform songs about her recent ex, Joe Alwyn. It was genuinely inspirational how Taylor could sing the songs she wrote about him while still healing. Taylor could focus on what made her happy, like performing and interacting with her fans. She could get her emotions out independently and still do the things she loved. I was truly inspired by how elegantly Taylor handled her breakup. She has shown me that expressing your emotions differently is okay. I decided I would not try and distract myself from reality. I wanted to let my emotions out in the healthiest ways I could. So I stayed active, spent time with my family, talked to friends, journaled, and listened to a lot of Taylor Swift. A month later, I am still a little heartbroken, but that is normal, and that is okay. Taylor inspired me and allowed me to heal from my breakup in the best way during college. Taylor Swift's Eras tour showed me just how strong I can be and how to channel my emotions in a positive way.

@okoutour14

Taylor Swift's iconic album 1989 came out when I was in the fourth grade. Being a huge “swiftie” since I was in kindergarten, I had this exciting new album put on repeat at my house. I remember making up dances to Shake It Off in my living room and lip-syncing Blank Space in the car with my friends. But if I was ever asked what my favorite song off the album was, I would always say Bad Blood. Being only a ten year old it may not make much sense why Bad Blood spoke to me for most of the album. But I dealt with a lot of bullying at a very young age. Elementary school was quite a hard experience for me. Girls were mean and manipulative even at such a young age. I had gotten bullied by two of my closest friends at different points in elementary school. After experiencing that confusing feeling of betrayal twice at such a young age, I found it hard to make friends and trust others. I found myself refusing to go to school and losing trust in everyone other than my parents. The entire experience forced me to mature a lot quicker than other young girls. I was put into counseling to help me understand that I was not the problem and that I did not deserve any of the cruel treatment I was receiving. But I still wondered why my so-called friends would treat me so terribly and then half-heartedly apologize and act like everything was normal. Therefore, the song Bad Blood hit a lot closer to home for me, even at 10 years old. Taylor helped me to understand, through her lyrics, that betrayal in friendships was a normal occurrence. Yet it was not something you had to force yourself to get over. Bad Blood helped to validate those nagging feelings of hurt and confusion. I still remember screaming, “Band-aids don't fix bullet holes, you say sorry just for show…” in the car with my Mom on the way home from school. Singing Taylor Swift became part of my therapy. I was able to release a lot of the negative feelings I had and start to make real friendships at school. The song Bad Blood not only empowered me but helped me further get in touch with my feelings and grow within myself. Taylor Swift helped me understand that it was perfectly normal to have strong emotions and to truly feel your feelings. I became a more emotionally intelligent and mature young woman through Taylor’s music. I have always thought of Taylor Swift to be a wonderful role model when it comes to female empowerment and accepting your emotions because I have seen it instilled in me through her music. To this day, 1989 is one of my all-time favorite albums of all time because of the nostalgia, hard-hitting lyrics, and overall positive energy it brings to me.

Growing up, I always enjoyed being creative and learning new things. I often wondered about all the different paths my future career could take. Throughout my school years, I thought about becoming a teacher, a lawyer, a business entrepreneur, or an interior designer. However, I eventually came to realize these paths were not really my true niche. During the past year, while visiting campuses and college open houses, I realized that I want a career based more on my strengths, which have always been English, writing, business, and digital media. This, ultimately, is why I decided to pursue a career in Digital Marketing. A career in Digital Marketing and Media will allow me to touch on all the aspects I want in a future career. I have always been interested in areas that allow me to be creative. At the same time, I would love to pursue business. I took a digital art class this year in high school. This class inspired me to learn more about graphic design and digital media. My dream job is to either work as a digital marketer for a company that I am passionate about or to start my own digital design business. I hope to be able to work with inspiring companies that are taking steps to better our world. As a young girl, I feel it is imperative to keep empowering other girls as I go off to college and adult life. My hope is to be able to use my career to help support female-owned businesses. I also have goals to keep volunteering and helping others through my future job. I have always had big plans for my future but now I can truly see my vision coming together as I get closer to college. Whichever college I end up choosing, I am planning to be a member of the honors college. This immediately will add to both my workload and course requirements. Which in turn results in more money and time needed to devote to my work. I am planning on working as I attend college to get my degree, but I wish to focus most of my time on my studies. By receiving a scholarship I will be able to focus more on excelling in my studies and be able to obtain all the opportunities I need to succeed. One of my biggest fears would be being unable to finish college due to the overwhelming finances that come with schooling. With the help of scholarships, I will be able to make my way through college with less stress and more time to focus on my studies. I added one of my favorite digital design pieces I have made below.

Throughout my life, I have considered myself a reasonably happy person. Of course, I would still find myself feeling emotions of anger and sadness at times. But I have always been able to bounce back after a couple of hours of sulking. Even through the most difficult times of my life, I was able to stay hopeful and convince myself that things could only get better. I have come to realize that I am simply a very optimistic person. Optimism is something that I highly value. I have found that my quality of life is significantly better if I can make the most out of situations and keep a positive mindset. Recently optimism has been very useful in my tennis career. As a singles player, it is easy to put the entire blame on myself if I do not perform as well as I had hoped. Tennis matches can get extremely aggravating. Whether your opponent is making bad calls, your serve is off or the weather is just not cooperating, it is easy to let negative emotions take over. In my junior year, I made the transition from JV's third singles to Varsity B's first singles. I went from playing amateur players to much more experienced ones. This resulted in many losses at the beginning of my season. I remember it would get to a point in the match where I would just give up on the court if I was behind in the score. One night, I went home and asked myself why I was getting so upset. In previous seasons I had been able to let losses roll off my back. I realized that what was dragging me down was not my abilities but rather my negative mindset. As a result of my reflection, I steadily began to switch my mindset to a more positive one. I was able to take the match point by point and keep myself from looking at things so negatively. This switch in mindset made all the difference in my tennis playing from then on and showed me the value of optimism. As I've gotten older and learned more about myself and others, I have found it easier to differentiate people who are optimistic from those who are pessimistic. I never fail to enjoy my time around people who have a more positive outlook. Whether it be a bad grade on a test or just stepping in a puddle, people who are optimistic about simple situations are a lot more enjoyable to be around. They do not contaminate your energy the way pessimistic people do. I find that the people that I surround myself with greatly affect my mood and energy. If my energy is higher and more positive, I can be more motivated and successful in my endeavors. Therefore, I know that my optimistic attitude will affect others positively and be beneficial as I move into college and adult life. As I move along in my life journey I am excited to stay optimistic. I know that every day is not going to go perfectly. But if I do not let the negatives affect my energy, I will be noticeably more motivated and successful. I have learned to try and look at any negative events as a lesson and an opportunity for something better to come into my life. If I can carry my optimistic out view with me for the rest of my life, I know I can overcome any obstacles that I may face.

It was nearing the end of eighth grade, and while most of my peers were excited that summer was so close, I had a different mindset. I was upset that I would not be able to see the boy I liked. Though this is a very trivial issue, 14-year-old me thought it was extremely serious. After expressing my feelings to my close friend she came up with a great idea. She suggested that I take tennis lessons with her this upcoming summer since he took lessons at her club, as well. Rejuvenated, I went home and begged my Mom to sign me up. Little did I know how this one decision would change my life. Showing up to the first lesson, I had the horrifying realization that the boy was not even signed up for these classes. I considered forgetting about the tennis lessons altogether, but since I paid for them myself, I decided to make the best out of the classes. I ended up falling in love with the sport. After taking tennis lessons, I realized that tennis was one of the most enjoyable sports I had tried, and I seemed to be a natural. Once the summer ended, I decided to try out for the school's team and continue playing tennis. This led to a multitude of positives in my high school experience. Through the tennis team, I was able to meet some of my closest friends and learn how to step up and be a leader. In the past, sports were major contributors to my anxiety. During swim team, my mind would not be focused on the race but rather on the fear of not being able to execute my flip turns. During cheerleading, instead of enjoying myself, I’d be worried about messing up my routine and embarrassing myself in front of the stands full of kids and parents. Playing a tennis match was different. I was somehow able to let go of my worries and just play. I felt I was playing for myself rather than just to win. Through tennis, I learned how to lose without feeling like I let myself and the entire team down. I have been able to grow in my confidence and become more secure in who I am and with my triumphs and mistakes. I trained all through the winter after my first season, so when I showed up to tryouts the following year, my coaches were shocked at my improvement and dedication. Each year I have continued to train and push myself as I climbed the ranks of my high school team. I also created a strong bond with my teammates. I was proud to be elected by my teammates as co-captain of the tennis team during my sophomore year and then again during my senior year. Being captain allowed me to be a leader and interact with players and parents in ways I would not have imagined myself being confident enough to do in the past. Whether I was organizing team bonding activities, assisting coaches, or even running practices, I felt myself growing as a person through the experiences. With my newfound assurance, I gained both new friends and new opportunities. Due to my growth in self-confidence and anxiety, I believe I am now a better person. Thanks to my tennis experiences, I have learned not to be so hard on myself and how to be more confident in my abilities. I know that I can truly rely on myself as I transition into college and adulthood.

Feminism is a well-known term throughout the world. But it takes on many different connotations. Some people take feminism to the extreme. Those people ridicule feminists for ¨hating men¨ and such. Others oversimplify the term. But feminism is so much deeper than just wanting equal rights. Feminism is both advocating and supporting other women. Whether that be fighting for equal pay, supporting women-owned businesses, or uplifting your friends after they had a bad day. Feminism supports and respects all other women regardless of age, race, political views, or sexuality. I believe that feminism is also internal. Supporting yourself as a female, having internal love for yourself and your appearance. Believing that you can achieve just as much as a man. It is an important mindset for all women to have, especially young girls as they grow up. There have been many admirable feminists throughout history. Though I find all the feminists of the past very inspirational, I have been most inspired by Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift is a popular singer and songwriter. I have grown up always listening to her music. As a young girl, the music I listen to can be very influential. I feel that Taylor Swift's music and her morals instilled in me the true meaning of feminism. Swift writes a lot of music about people who have done her wrong in the past and underestimated her. She has gone in depth in both interviews and songs, about how men and women are treated very differently in the music industry. Her song most rooted in feminism is ¨The Man¨. This song compares the way women and men are perceived and how Taylor believes that women are treated a lot differently in the music industry. She delivers the song in a way that does not degrade men but instead lifts up women and inspires them to stand up to oppression and unfair treatment. Swift adds a variety of messages throughout all her songs. Some songs touch on empowering others while others assure the listener their emotions are valid. All of these messages truly encompass feminism. Taylor Swift has hugely impacted my view on feminism. Though I am still young, I have tried my best to contribute to the feminist movement in my own community. I have been an active Girl Scout since first grade. Being part of the Girl Scout community has given me many opportunities to advocate for feminism and help empower young girls. When I started high school my troop started taking younger troops under our wings. We organized events and helped younger girls through their journeys. As a Girl Scout Ambassador now I hope to bring these tools with me to college and be able to help even more young girls. In addition, I consider myself a supportive person. I will always take the opportunity to help other girls and remind them of their worth.

It was nearing the end of eighth grade, and while most of my peers were excited that summer was so close, I had a different mindset. I was upset that I would not be able to see the boy I liked. Though this is a very trivial issue, 14-year-old me thought it was extremely serious. After expressing my feelings to my close friend she came up with a great idea. She suggested that I take tennis lessons with her this upcoming summer since he took lessons at her club, as well. Rejuvenated, I went home and begged my Mom to sign me up. My Mom was skeptical since I never had expressed any interest in tennis beforehand. So I offered to pay for my lessons to prove my dedication to “tennis”. Little did I know how this one decision would change my life. Showing up to the first lesson, I ended up falling in love with the sport. After taking those twice-a-week tennis lessons, I realized that tennis was one of the most enjoyable sports I had tried, and I seemed to be a natural. Once the summer ended, I decided to try out for the school's team and continue playing tennis. This led to a multitude of positives in my high school experience. Through the tennis team, I was able to meet some of my closest friends and learn how to step up and be a leader. In the past, sports were major contributors to my anxiety. During swim team, my mind would not be focused on the race but rather on the fear of not being able to execute my flip turns. During cheerleading, instead of enjoying myself, I’d be worried about messing up my routine and embarrassing myself in front of the stands full of kids and parents. Playing a tennis match was different. I was somehow able to let go of my worries and just play. I felt I was playing for myself rather than just to win. Through tennis, I learned how to lose without feeling like I let myself and the entire team down. I have been able to grow in my confidence and become more secure in who I am and with my triumphs and mistakes. I trained all through the winter after my first season, so when I showed up to tryouts the following year, my coaches were shocked at my improvement and dedication. Each year I have continued to train and push myself as I climbed the ranks of my high school team. I also created a strong bond with my teammates. I was proud to be elected by my teammates as co-captain of the tennis team during my sophomore year and then again during my senior year. Being captain allowed me to be a leader and interact with players and parents in ways I would not have imagined myself being confident enough to do in the past. Whether I was organizing team bonding activities, assisting coaches, or even running practices, I felt myself growing as a person through the experiences. With my newfound assurance, I gained both new friends and new opportunities. Due to my growth in self-confidence and anxiety, I believe I am now a better person. Thanks to my tennis experiences, I have learned not to be so hard on myself and how to be more confident in my abilities.