If I could have everyone in the world read one book, I would have them read "A World Without You" by Beth Revis. This book dives into the mind of a boy who is suspected of having a mental illness. He is in a home with other children who have their own mental or behavioral issues, but he views it in a different way. He believes that everyone in the facility has their own special power. Later, he believes that people are coming into the facility to interfere with the powers of everyone there. Throughout the book, he deals with a lot of powerful emotions and attempts to find his girlfriend, whom he believes is lost in time. I will not spoil the ending of the book, but the entire thing is an emotional journey that provokes thought from the reader. I read it multiple years ago, and since then, I have bought copies for multiple important people in my life. The book helps the reader understand the way that someone with the main character's illness might view the world, along with the way that the other characters in the book view the world. In addition to that, the book tackles grief and loss by showing how each character deals with the loss of someone else in the facility. It has realistic interactions, which makes it easy for the reader to become attached to the characters throughout the story. It would also be an easy book to relate to for someone who attempts to escape reality when they are facing hard times. It is important for every person to read a book like this because it can help people gain a different perspective on the world and on different mental illnesses. This book is easily my favorite, and I continue to recommend it to people every year. It had a strong impact on me, and I think it would have a strong impact on anyone else who read it as well.

I strongly believe in a creator who designed heaven and earth. More specifically, I am a Pentecostal Christian who believes in God and the Holy Trinity. The story that I think of every time I think of God working in the lives of average people is a story that my dad told me about his life when I was a young child. My parents' relationship ended when I was a toddler, and even though my mom was an alcoholic due to the way she raised me, my mom was the one who ended up with custody of me. My dad asked my mom if he could see my sister and me very often, but she would never let him. At the time, my sister was staying with my mom, and I was staying with my grandma on my mom's side. Sometimes, they would call my dad and tell him that he could take me but not my sister. He would decline because he wanted to see both of us at the same time. He knew that we were not safe where they lived and that they were not fit to take care of us. One day, he went back to the church that he used to attend so that he could watch one of the services. During the alter call, he went to talk to his favorite traveling preacher, who was preaching that day. He asked the preacher (brother Bobby Lee) if he could pray for him. Brother Bobby did pray for my dad, and my dad said that he felt the presence of God in the church that day more than ever. As soon as my dad left the church, he got a phone call from my mom saying that he could come get both of us and take us back to where he lived. Soon after that, he got custody of us, and my mom only had visitation rights. My dad and I both fully believe that God was the reason for those things occurring. Aside from that, God has healed me from a lot of things personally. I used to have a lot of anxiety, to the point where it would cause me to throw up and even caused me to break out into stress hives for three days. Eventually, I started reading the Bible on my own, in addition to attending church. I have read the whole thing now, but my favorite verse is still Exodus 14:14, which, in the KJV Bible, is "The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." This verse brought me a lot of comfort in the times that I panicked and reassured me that there was no reason to worry because God would take care of me. I was able to put my trust in the Lord and stop throwing up and panicking constantly. Through all of my other struggles in life, such as my mother's passing, God protected me and got me through those times. I would not be where I am today without my belief in God.

The sting of loneliness when I went prom dress shopping with one of my neighbors and saw every other girl there with their mom. The pain of leaving graduation and seeing everyone else hug their mom. The jealous feeling when I see all of the Mother’s Day posts every year of people thanking their mom for everything she has done. These are all things that I experienced going through life without my mom. Throughout my early childhood, my mother struggled with an addiction to alcohol. This was because of the way that she was raised, since addiction ran rampant in her own family. Unfortunately, she could not overcome this addiction since she believed that there was nothing wrong with her. She passed away from health issues related to alcohol when I was eight years old. When I first learned about this, I cried only because I was angry that she was never there for me. After that, I tried to ignore the feelings. I had always lived without a mom, so nothing had changed for me. However, as time went on, her passing started to affect me more and more. I was getting older, and I realized that while other kids would have their mothers at their weddings, graduations, and other important events, I would not have mine. The only things I could remember about her were negative things, such as her being angry with me over little things. I had only some positive memories of her, such as her love for art. To this day, I still cannot remember the sound of her voice or specific features of hers. When I was in fifth grade, I started to journal to help with the unimaginable pain and anger that I was feeling in my daily life, both from my mother's passing and from other things. I filled up three different journals doing this. I wrote in it daily like a diary, but I did not write about my daily life like a diary. Instead, I wrote about my feelings. This practice helped me a lot with the negative things that I felt. Once I filled the journal, I would throw it away because it felt like I was throwing away the bad feelings and moving on. Even now, I still journal about the bad parts of my life. Aside from journaling and God, one of the main things that got me through the rough parts of my life was my desire to make my life better by getting a higher education. I have always wanted to go into the healthcare field because I have a passion for healthcare and helping people. Currently, I am an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in medical laboratory sciences so that I can attend medical school after my undergrad. Eventually, I plan to be a general surgeon. Another thing that got me through the rough parts of my life was my dad. My dad is a big inspiration for me because he helped to make me into the person that I am today. During my mom's addiction, he always told me to pray for her and told me that it was not her fault and that she was not a bad person. He never said anything negative about her. He also encouraged me to go to college. He never went to college because he did not believe he could afford to not go straight to work, but he always wanted me to go so I could have a better life. Without my dad, I would not be the person that I am today.

From the third grade to the sixth grade, I struggled immensely with all of my math work. I would get frustrated trying to complete my homework because I could never understand the process. In fifth grade, my vision was getting worse. This caused me to struggle with math even more because I could not see the examples on the board. I did not get glasses until the end of the year and continued to struggle, which led to me disliking math even more. In sixth grade, I did not get placed in the advanced math group, and I struggled even more. All of these experiences led me to dislike math. I continued to carry this with me through middle school since I believed it was the only subject that I was not good at. However, this all changed when I got to high school. Not only did I discover a love for math, but I gained more confidence in myself academically because of it. My math teacher was an excellent teacher, and I excelled in my math class. I had an A+ in there for almost the entire year, sometimes over 100%. I was ahead of most of the other students. My teacher was encouraging, and she finally led me to realize that I was never bad at math. I continued to get A’s in geometry, and I was moved to the advanced math group once I reached higher-level algebra. I completed pre-calculus and trigonometry in one summer to catch up with the other advanced students. All of these classes made me realize that I loved math. Every time I understood something, it was fun for me. It was a subject that challenged me, but still one that I could do well in. Calculus was a struggle for me in high school, but it did not interfere with my newfound love for math. I retook calculus again last semester, and I loved it. I had an A for most of the class, even though I finished it with a B. I enjoyed learning the new material and practicing it. Overcoming my struggles with math is an accomplishment that I am very proud of, especially with calculus. Math is important to our everyday lives, and it was especially important to me because it taught me that I can overcome challenges in my academic career if I do not give up.

Every year between August and September, stores start putting out back-to-school supplies, and students start to feel dread for the upcoming year. Most kids dislike going back to school and would rather stay home. I was not one of the children who could relate to this. I was always excited to go back to school. I reminded my dad repeatedly about the upcoming year and excitedly picked out my supplies and back-to-school clothes. For the other kids, school meant the end of their free time. For me, school was my escape and the most organized part of my life. From elementary school to the first few years of high school, I faced a lot of adversity. My mother passed away when I was in third grade, and the only mother figure that I had was my ex-stepmom. She and my dad divorced when I was in sixth grade, but even after that, they stayed together until the summer before my senior year of high school. She hated me and treated me very badly. She would make comments on my weight and my personality. Later, she began to get worse and started lashing out on my dad, to the point where we had to call the police on her. During this same time, my grandma's dementia worsened, and I was helping my dad take care of her. Because of the disorganization of my personal life, I enjoyed the organization of school. I thrived in the school environment, and I was always motivated to do my best, knowing that I could create a better life for myself. My personal life became better during my senior year when I no longer had contact with my stepmom, and my academic life was still going well. My ambition and persistence led me to graduate with academic honors and complete enough dual-credit courses to earn a general associate’s degree from Ivy Tech. I was accepted into Purdue University, and I started school there in the fall of 2023 as a first-generation college student. Currently, I am an undergraduate pursuing a science degree. My major is medical laboratory sciences. Following my bachelor’s degree, I plan to attend medical school to become a general surgeon. If I do not attend medical school, I will complete a master’s program in Med Lab Science at Purdue and work as a medical laboratory scientist. I have always had a passion for helping people, which is what both of these careers would allow me to do in a specific way. Outside of school, I have been doing volunteer work for the past five years. This year I have been volunteering to recruit people to visit hospice patients and keep them company, which is something that I will do myself when I have a car. This volunteer work is important to me in a personal way because of the way that I helped to care for my grandma when she was in bad health. In addition to that, I am already starting work in the healthcare field by taking classes to become a CNA, and I participate in undergraduate research in epidemiology. Along with my passion for science and helping people, I also have a passion for research and lab work. I hope that my research can impact people in the area that I am researching and can help to better their lives. Completing my stem degree will allow me to help people in the specific way that I would like to, which would not be possible without the opportunities that have been provided to me in the field of science.

“The only thing that cannot be taken from you is education” (Connie Konatsotis). This quote spoke to me while reading about Connie because I have always loved school and have been motivated to pursue higher education for that same reason. I was raised by a single dad, but he raised me to be independent, ambitious, and persistent. I encountered a lot of challenges in my early life with the passing of my mother, living with an awful ex-stepmother, and helping to take care of my grandmother with dementia. All of these things were hard for me to deal with, but I always got through them by focusing on school and knowing that one day my education would bring me to a better point in my life. During high school, I worked hard and always did more than what was expected of me. This led to my graduating with academic honors and earning enough dual credits to receive a general associate’s degree through Ivy Tech. I was accepted to Purdue University after that, and I started school there in the fall of 2023 as a first-generation college student. Currently, I am pursuing a STEM degree there. The science portion of stem is interesting to me in particular because I have always wanted to go into the medical field, which requires extensive knowledge about science and the human body. In addition to that, science and research lead to advancements in the medical field that could not be made otherwise. Every year, surgeries and treatments are improved by people who work to create more effective medical practices using science. Many things in that field and in our daily lives would not be possible without an understanding of science and research, which is something that furthers my love for the subject. My current major at school is Medical Laboratory Sciences, which will provide me with a bachelor’s in science after I graduate. Following my bachelor’s degree, I hope to go to medical school to become a general surgeon. If I do not get accepted into medical school, I plan to complete a master’s program in Med Lab Science at Purdue to continue my education. I chose to switch to Med Lab from another science major because once I got to college and started working in chemistry labs, I discovered a love for being in the lab. I am part of an honors undergraduate research program at my university, and so far, it has been one of my best experiences related to education. I participate in epidemiology research, and I enjoy being able to do research that will eventually help large populations of people. I hope that I can use the stem knowledge that I have gained so far and will gain in the future to help people by working in the medical field as a surgeon or medical lab scientist. Even now, before getting my bachelor's degree, I am going to start CNA classes at the end of May to work in a medical setting. One day, I hope that I can make an impact on the world the way that Connie did. Her story both inspired and resonated with me because I could relate to it in some ways. She was an ambitious woman who was determined to get her education and make a difference in the world, which she achieved. I am so grateful to have grown up in a time where women are encouraged to get their education, and I could not be more thankful for women like Connie who make that possible.

Almost every child spends their early years dreaming about what they will be when they grow up. For most people, this dream changes many times until they find what their real passion in life is. This was not the case for me. I have known for as long as I can remember that I want to be a surgeon. When I was a small child, I would watch Doc McStuffins repair her toys in a children's TV show, and I would repair mine the same way. When I was eleven, I learned to sew so that I could perform “surgery” on my stuffed animals to fix them. I played surgery games over and over. I have always loved the career and the idea of being able to help people through it in a way that most people cannot. When I was in middle school, I had to get surgery myself because I had appendicitis. I talked to the surgeon at my follow-up appointment and had the opportunity to ask him questions. When I asked why he became a surgeon, he told me simply that he is a problem solver, and when people have medical problems in the hospital, he comes in and solves them. This response stuck with me because I am also a straightforward person who likes to fix issues to the best of my ability. Becoming a general surgeon is something that I have been working towards for almost my entire life, and it is my main goal in life. My love for the field and the need to make a better life for myself motivate me every day to keep working towards my goals. Currently, I am majoring in Medical Laboratory Sciences at Purdue University. In the fall, I will be going into my second year working towards my bachelor’s degree. It is a STEM major that is focused primarily on science classes, specifically chemistry courses. I have always been interested in the science and math portion of STEM, even before college. Though they are difficult subjects, the feeling when I understand the information within the subjects is unmatched. With math and chemistry, students learn a little bit more each year and increase their skill level. Every time I learn more, the pieces fit together like a puzzle in my brain. Sometimes I struggle with my courses, but it does not deter my love for STEM. In my senior year of high school, I received a D in calculus, which was a shock since I had always gotten As in my math classes and I had never had a grade below a B in any course. However, I retook the class last semester at Purdue, and the pieces finally clicked together for me. I completed the course with a B, but I had an A for the majority of the semester. I struggled with chemistry tests last semester as well, but I enjoyed the rest of the class. I discovered a love for being in the lab during chemistry. I participate in undergraduate research, and I switched my major to Medical Laboratory Sciences so that, in the event that I do not end up going to medical school, I can work in a lab when I graduate. Though I have always wanted to be a surgeon and have kept my motivation for it, my greatest challenge before college was separating my life at home from my life at school. My mother has never been present in my life, and she passed away when I was eight. My stepmom entered my life a few years before that, when I was six. Throughout my life, she treated me badly and always showed favoritism to my stepbrothers and my sister. She made comments about my weight and would say generally mean things to me, like that I talked too much or that I was annoying. My dad divorced her when I was in elementary school, but they stayed together. When I was in early high school, her behavior worsened to the point where we had to call the police on her multiple times. Around this same time, my grandmother's dementia worsened, and I started to help take care of her while my dad worked. With some things in my personal life being so chaotic, I had to learn to separate my personal life from my school life. I worked hard in school and focused on the work when I was there. I had A’s in every class up until my senior year. Even in my senior year, I only had two Bs and one lower grade in calculus. My personal life also started to improve during my senior year because we no longer had contact with my stepmom. I graduated with academic honors and completed so many dual credits that I earned a general associate’s degree from Ivy Tech. My love for school and ambitious attitude helped me to overcome the challenges that I faced and helped me to make it to my dream school as a first-generation college student, where I am one step closer to becoming a surgeon.

Giving back to other people both with money and time has always been important to me. When I was a child, I would ask my dad to donate his coins to the coin donations in the front of businesses every time I saw one. My sister always said that the people asking for donations might not be telling her the truth, and my dad would agree, but he would always still add the coins because I would say that the people might really need help. When I got to high school, I joined the National Honor Society. I began volunteering to meet a requirement, but quickly found that I had a passion for it and began to do it outside of honor society. From sophomore year of high school to senior year I volunteered doing a polar express train in my town. I dressed as a character from the polar express and spent around 7 hours entertaining children on a train each time that I did it. I led other people to join it as well. I volunteered with various other things as well, such as putting together Easter treats, assisting in clothing drives, and helping with children's carnivals. During my senior year, I started to volunteer with Gleaner’s and the Salvation army. This volunteering impacted me the most because it was something that I did outside of the NHS. I assisted Gleaner’s multiple times in my town with handing out food. I remember that there were not very many volunteers so they were usually short on people, and most of the people who did help were older people who could not lift things as easily as I could. I believe that the reason it was mostly older people was because they knew what it was like to struggle more than people my age. When I was younger, my grandma sometimes stood in Gleaner’s lines for food since her income was only from social security checks. I wanted to be able to help other people obtain food the same way that people helped my grandma when she needed it. Through my days volunteering with Gleaners I met a woman who introduced me to volunteering with the salvation army. I had already done work for them once before by ringing bells in the cold during winter to collect money, but this time I was serving food. The woman served most Tuesdays and Thursdays, but she needed additional help. For many Tuesdays, her grandsons and I went with her after school and helped her prepare the food to serve to people, and then we assisted with serving it. I donated some of my clothes to the donation table there and they were quickly taken. It was rewarding to see children and families receive food and clothing that they needed, and I have been looking into volunteering with the salvation army here for that reason. When I got to college, I began volunteering with a hospice organization. Currently I recruit people to visit the patients in person, but when I get a car I plan to do the in person visits. Making sure that people at the end of their lives have people to care about them is something that is very important to me because of my grandma. I have also signed up to donate my bone marrow to someone in need once I get a match. In the future I want to help people by donating my money and time to people as much as I possibly can, as I have in the past.

I have been asked many times by religious groups on campus how my faith impacts my day-to-day life. The first time I was asked the question, I thought that it was a hard question to answer. However, after I thought about it for a while I started to respond by saying that everything, I do in my daily life shows my love for the Lord. The first thing I do when I open my eyes in the morning is pray and thank God for giving me another day on earth. Every time I complete an assignment in school, I am working towards going to medical school and earning a position in a healthcare career so that I can help people the way I believe God has led me to. Every time I go to the gym, I am making it easier for me to help people and praise God. Every time I interact with someone, I treat them with love and respect the way that the Bible says to. Everything I do in life is something that God has led me to do, and it is in line with the word of God. When thinking about pro-life views specifically, I show that in my daily life by trying to support all ages of people. About a month ago, I sent a sample in to try to be matched with someone who needed my stem cells or bone marrow, so I am awaiting results for that. I have wanted to do that for a while so I could help someone who really needs it. I also volunteer to help hospice patients who need care. My belief in God has impacted my life and career choice because I think that God put me on the earth to serve others through a healthcare career. I had a tough childhood where I had to deal with things such as my mom passing away, taking care of my grandmother with dementia, and coping with my stepmom emotionally abusing me. The three things that remained consistent throughout this time were my belief in God, support from my dad, and my desire to join a healthcare career. Even when I was a small child, I repaired my toys playing surgeon and I played surgery games online. Even during times that were bad, God gave me opportunities to grow my love for the career. When I was in middle school, I got appendicitis and went to the hospital. The surgeon that I interacted with told me that I was lucky it hadn’t busted yet. This was scary, but the surgery went well, and it allowed me to talk with the surgeon. This was just one of the many examples of the opportunities given to me by God. Without my faith, I would not have made it through those tough years. I plan to use my education to enact change and protect all stages of life because a surgeon is able to protect every stage of life. A general surgeon operates on people of all ages and helps to save their lives and make them more comfortable. With my income after medical school, I plan to donate money to hope centers and places like that where my donations will give items to struggling mothers. This shows people that there are resources out there if they keep their child, rather than terminating their pregnancy, since I have always believed that there are better options out there.