"We all have our own life to pursue, our own kind of dream to be weaving, and we all have the power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing.” This is one of my favorite quotes by Louisa May Alcott. My favorite book is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. This book is the prime example of this quote. Little Women follows the four March sisters and shows just how different each and everyone of them is and how they each choose a unique life journey; but how they all find joy in their own way. The funny part is that even though they’re all very different people, I’m able to see a little part of myself in each one of them. My favorite character is actually Jo March. I feel like I relate to Jo the most of all the March sisters. I admire her courageous spirit, sense of adventure, and desire to make her own way in the world regardless of whether that way is the easiest or not. She never ceases to fight for what she believes. Another one of my favorite quotes is, "I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship." I feel like this quote encapsulates the overall theme of Little Women. Each one of the March sisters learns to recognize that their journey is an individual one and that if they continue to pursue that; even during difficult times; they can accomplish amazing things. I know that if I continue to fight for what I believe and follow my own life journey, I will be able to find joy. I am grateful to Louisa May Alcott for being an inspiration to strong and courageous women everywhere.

The most helpful piece of financial advice I’ve ever received was to have a financial plan and stick to a budget. I grew up in a single parent household and that meant that money was usually tight. Every month I saw my mom create a financial spreadsheet whenever she would pay the monthly bills. She always knew exactly how much each bill cost and where the money was going. This was also helpful because she was aware of how much money was left over at the end of the month so that we were still able to put some money into a savings account, but also able to do some fun things too. Having and sticking to a budget is helpful in many ways. You’re able to make sure all of the bills are getting paid, you can create a savings plan, and you can eliminate a lot of financial stress that you might otherwise have. A budget also helps you be able to manage the necessities in life as well as the extra fun things. When you know how much money you have and where it’s going, you can set aside a certain amount of money that can go towards buying more frivolous things or taking fun trips. I’ve definitely taken the advice of having a financial plan and sticking to a budget to heart. I frequently create financial spreadsheets to help me be more aware of my current financial situation and more able to navigate my financial future. If I continue to create and stick to a budget, I’ll be able to live my best life no matter how much money is in my bank account.

Growing up my friends always believed I was spoiled. I was always getting expensive gifts for my birthday or Christmas, I got to have fun adventures, and I got to travel to different places. However, I grew up in a single parent household and we didn’t have a lot of money. The truth is, my mom is really good at budgeting, finding amazing deals, and saving money. I was five years old when my parents got divorced and my dad took off. He struggled with addictions and the ability to keep a job, so we didn’t get regular or even semi-regular child support. My mom started her own in-home daycare so that she could work, make money to support our family, and still be at home with us. Even though it isn’t the best paying job in the world, it was important to my mom to be there for us. Having financial restrictions meant that we had to budget our money very carefully and try to save money whenever possible. I remember that even at a young age my mom taught us how to check the food prices at the grocery store to see which brand was the best price. She also taught us that saving money was important. When I was about eight years old I asked my mom if I could get some extra clothes for my Build-A-Bear at the mall. She told me that the clothes were very expensive and that because she had already bought me some clothes for my Build-A-Bear, I would have to pay for the extra clothes myself. We agreed that I could do some chores to earn the money. We got the clothes at the mall and the agreement was that I would rake leaves for two hours to earn the money for them. That was the longest two hours of my life! I didn’t realize how hard I had to work to get that kind of money. It was a life lesson learned! My mom is also the kind of person who likes spreadsheets. She always does a finance spreadsheet for the monthly bills. I’ve watched her all my life as she sits down once a month and pays all the bills and completes her finance spreadsheet. She always knew exactly how much money we had to have in order to pay the monthly bills and how much money that would leave us to do the fun things we liked to do. My mom is also the queen of thrift shopping. I’ve watched her bargain hunt for clothes, shop sales for gifts, and use all kinds of discount opportunities whenever possible so we could go on fun trips. I’ve emulated her technique so that I too can save money now that I’m paying for some of my own things. My mom has taught me that having a tight budget doesn’t mean you have to have an unadventurous lifestyle. It just means you have to use some creative budgeting techniques, thrift shopping skills, and look for deals whenever possible. I know that money will be tight when I go to college, but I also know that I’ll be able to do buy things for myself and do fun things because I know how to create a financial plan that accommodates both my necessities and my wishes. My mom was the best financial teacher in the world and I’m so grateful to her for teaching me that I’ll be able to be successful financially no matter how much money I have in my bank account.

I grew up in a single parent household and I watched my mom navigate the highs and lows of that situation. While things weren’t always easy or simple, she has always had determination. Determination in the way she faces challenges and overcomes obstacles, and determination in the way she always fights for what she believes in, including us. I have developed that same sense of determination because of my mom. Even at an early age I was determined to do well in school. It was my goal to take AP classes and college level courses throughout high school as well as to graduate with a 4.0 grade point average. None of these things was easy or simple but I was determined to succeed. I found ways to increase my participation level in class, to improve my study habits, and to persist even when I got discouraged. I was also determined to try new things. I have always been an adventurous and curious person by nature, but even I struggled with social fears. I was determined to challenge those fears and succeed in extracurricular activities despite my misgivings. I joined Liberty Fit, which is a group that trains to run a half marathon. I was not previously a runner, but I was determined to accomplish my goal of completing a half marathon. I trained for many weeks, maintained myself discipline, and eventually ran and completed a half marathon. I was very proud of myself! I also joined Mock Trial; I didn’t have any previous experience with this sort of activity, but I joined this group so that I could increase my public speaking skills and put myself out there on a different social level. I was able to compete with my Mock Trial group and even though I was very nervous and a little scared I persisted and together we were very successful. I feel like because of my determination and persistence I have been able to accomplish things I wouldn’t otherwise have been able to. I think life is really hard sometimes, and if we give up we are missing out on so many new adventures and great experiences that we could have had. Making goals and having the determination to fight to accomplish those goals is a key skill that you can use in every aspect of life. I’m starting a new adventure by going to college in the fall and although I know that new experiences can be scary sometimes and that I could probably take other easier routes in life, I’m determined to push forward and accomplish my goal of graduating with a degree in architecture and to become a successful architect. I truly believe that anything worthwhile in life is worth fighting for and determination is a key life skill that I will be able to use not only in the academic aspect of my life, but in my personal life as well. I also feel like there are so many influences that affect my life both positive and negative that I have to maintain my determination to be myself and to accomplish the goals that are important to me and not let outside influences distract me or push me in any direction that goes against who I am or what I believe in.

At a very young age I wasn’t the typical girly girl. I didn’t like to play with dolls or play dress up. My favorite pastimes were legos, magnets, and Minecraft. I knew girls my age who were like me, but who didn’t have people in their lives that supported the choices they made. I was lucky enough to have a mom and sister who were always supportive of me, who encouraged me to be myself and to do whatever made me happy. I always felt like I could just be myself and that it was okay. That’s what I try to do for other people. I have worked with various groups of youth multiple times in my life and I’ve met so many different people with such diverse backgrounds and unique personalities. I always try to encourage them to be an individual and to find what makes them happy. I think when we can be passionate about something, we’re able to carry that positivity over into other aspects of our lives. With the stress of the world always right at our door, positivity is a rare gift that enables us to thrive in our own lives and also be able to encourage those around us.

Growing up I was always building things and creating things. I was passionate about architecture and design even as a youth. My desire was to go to a prestigious college with a good architecture program so that I could eventually work as a professional architect and make my design creations become a reality. Now that I have been accepted into the architecture program at the University of Oregon I am excited to be able to utilize my creativity, increase my knowledge of design, and pursue the field of architecture as a future career path. However, not only is college tuition expensive, as well as all the costs that go with it; for example, housing, food, books, and more, but supplies for the architecture program are very costly as well. If I was given $1000.00 today I would use it to buy architecture supplies that I could use not only for the program but for the future as well. I know that the program is very competitive and intensive, and knowing that I wouldn’t have to worry about how to pay for the supplies would be such a relief. I can’t wait to get started on my journey to becoming an architect!