I believe being an American means getting opportunities and freedom with any career chosen in the United States. We have access to community leaders and upper management in our jobs. In America, we can speak with these higher people in society to express our concerns and opinions. We get the chance for our voices to be heard. There can be times when these higher powers hear us but don't make the changes which is alright. Instead, we had the opportunity as Americans to express our freedom of speech to someone who could make a difference. Sometimes I believe being an American gets portrayed as a bad thing. In America, we have ups and downs like every country in the world. Nowhere will be perfect but as an American, I feel I have a higher chance to change something in my community because I can bring my concerns to a mayor or governor. There are stepping stones for Americans to venture out to many career options around the United States. After K through 12 many Americans can choose a college, trade school, or even start their own company/franchise. America has been designed for us to be able to learn, operate, and grow the economy and country for hundreds of years. America has been ahead more than behind due to the fact that not every American goes down the same path. Many of us go down different or similar paths but never do it the same way. Our brains tweak how we do everything giving us the chance to make improvements. We have the freedom of choice on where our success will come from and set the path for our futures. America has the separation of powers to protect our rights from the government allowing comfort as an American. This country has been set up from the beginning to protect our rights after setting Independence from Great Britain. The country is going up like how a stock market graph does. The chart we have set has peaks and lows but with those lows, we learn to improve. The lows are never fun but there is always a chance to grow that graph. That is why no matter how bad the lows are the chart will keep gradually going up till the end of time. So, how does it feel to be an American, it feels good to be in a country that does not stop your chances of success or making a change in this world.

Deciding to attend college was a struggle right after high school. My parents met back in high school and just a few months later found out they were going to have their first kid. I have grown up watching and grasping the hard decisions that were made raising a family so young. I watched them construct a busy into nothing to something throughout my childhood. It took till I got to high school for them to get over the bump and to bring enough money stress went away. Watching them grow to this success without attending college made deciding if college was for me difficult. It was a process of going back and forward trying to make the right decision for me. I chose a community college at first to stay close to home, thinking that would be my best option. A month before school started I decided to tour a school three hours from home. This was a big decision in a short period. After that tour, I knew I was going to pack my bags and make a giant leap from my parents. It was tuff my first semester not knowing anyone. I decided in the short period to go through sorority recruitment to help find a family away from home. Once I joined, the college away from home started to look better for me. Another struggle was having a lot of free time during my first semester. I was used to playing sports all year round as a kid till the end of high school. Going to class every day with a different schedule and then having evenings free was a big adjustment. In the beginning, it was hard not having a roommate with all this free time. I would have to give myself a pep talk almost every day, in the beginning, to go to the dining hall alone to eat. It would make me have terrible anxiety walking in and having to find a seat by myself. After a month I got used to it but it was still hard not knowing anyone and not being able to talk to people in my free time. Joining the sorority helped me get out of my comfort zone and helped me find friends in school. I found friends like I never had before, they showed kindness, cared for me, and gave me a family away from home. I found my place in school right before winter break. Winter break is so long for college which made it easy to get back into my routine at home, a little too easy. Coming back from break I had my biggest slump, stress, and loss of concentration. I came back home sick and not knowing if I chose the right decision on coming to school already a semester in. Then my family away from home showed me I did because if I didn't go to school I wouldn't have had the work experience, friendships, and education if I didn't attend Murray State University. My second semester helped set me up for my sophomore year. I now know that being here is where I am meant to be and can relax rather than have stress and anxiety. I would say my sophomore year is rather than a slump and a failed year is the year I can breathe because the hardest part mentally is behind me.

Taking on the farthest education level in my family has showed me how important education can be. I have came from a family where a higher education than high school never happened for them. My parents were both 19 when having me and school was put on hold to raise me. Then just 15 months later was my brother. My parents started a family early but have made a successful business since then to provide for my siblings and I. Having this example and story has showed me education is important to understand the world under certain circumstances. My parents may not have needed a college degree but that was not how my story was going. I graduated high school still not knowing what I wanting to pursue. After touring a few schools I came to the realization I wanted to study Horticulture or Business. I settled on a two year school that had a ag program and I was going to do a few business classes with it. That July before I was supposed to start school in the Fall I was given the news that the two year school's ag program was no longer a thing. This was not something great to hear but when getting this news a family friend told me to look into Murray State University in Kentucky. I knew looking into it was good because this school had been brought up to me multiply times before. I dreaded looking at it because it was three hours away from home and it was in Kentucky. I had to do a follow up phone call to verify I was coming to take a tour and almost did not follow through. Once arriving I really liked the campus size and how everything was set up. Having the residence on one side and classes on the other was really something that stood out. After getting the main campus tour the school took us out to the greenhouse and I instantly fell in love. Seeing the production process, meeting the professors, and getting a feel on how studying Horticulture would be, I knew that Murray State was the school for me. My parents were really supportive with this decision and were all for it. Going through this journey with them has shown me all the different ways this world can give us an education. My parents education started with diapers and mine was starting with plants. Everyone has their own path of education and for some it may be an unexpected family, for others it could be that school right down the road, or it could be taking that leap a little farther than home.

My moment of learning the most important life lesson that I am the only road block to my life's success. Once I saw that anything in my life cannot be done until I make the first step, really opened my eyes. Knowing that if I wanted to get that starting position in basketball or softball I had to start with putting in more work to get better. To see moving up in the roaster wasn't going to happen with me just sitting and watching TV all the time, I had to do something. Knowing that if I wanted that spot I was the only one who could get myself there. This lesson taught me on what I want to do next in life. I want to open a vineyard and make it into a wedding venue, and that all starts with putting it into motion. Knowing this has helped me to push forward in studying Horticulture at Murray State to learn more about the growing seasons to help me on my journey with this vineyard. This lesson has made my future stronger with having a guide to study as to stay focus on the goals I have set for myself in life.

My hobby is film production and adding all the effects, color, and music to go with it. I picked up on this hobby back when I was in middle school and would film during family vacations while putting them together at the end. My senior year of high school I joined yearbook and filmed my senior retreat. This gave me the idea to make that video into a QR code for the yearbook. Once I figured that out I went to the baseball and girl's soccer games to film for them. Then again I added those videos into a playlist on Youtube and created a QR code for the yearbook pages. Once I graduated high school I did not stop my hobby but instead documented my whole summer. I made seperated videos from my senior trip in Mexico and made some great memories. I filmed the weekends I went to the lake with my friends and love to look back at them during the cold nasty winters. I even started to film my everyday shenanigans and combined them into a minute Tiktok. This was something new I did and loved the faster pace while also getting to fit so many clips into one. Going from summer to college I still brought my love for video making with me. I joined a sorority and filmed philanthropy events we had attended as well as recruitment for the spring. Both were two different kinds a filming I never experienced before but was so excited to learn. I made audios for some and added some funky music to others while getting out of my comfort zone. All of these videos I have made showed me to document the fun, exciting, and over the top moments because it gives you the chance to relive them during the not so fun times. Film Production has been my outlet for seeing life in a different way and has helped me to cherish all the moments a little bit more.