My favorite Nintendo game to play with my family is Mario Kart 8. I have several memories with this game and other games in the Mario Kart series. When I was a kid, me and my older sister loved playing Mario Kart together. I remember that I would always play as Baby Mario and she would always play as Baby Luigi because we found it funny that they were babies. Also, in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, they had the Chain Chomp as an item. Then Mario Kart 8 came out. I still remember when my father bought a Wii U for the family. I remember that my sister loved racing on the Water Park stage, how happy we were when we discovered that you could use the holes to jump in GCN Dry Dry Desert, and the satisfaction I got when I beat the Shell Cup for the first time. Since then, I have received a Nintendo Switch. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was the first game I played on it. I will admit, it just isn't the same without my sister. That is why I sometimes come back to my Wii U to play Mario Kart 8 again. Every time I play with my sister, we form some sort of memory that we will look back on fondly one day.

I hope to be a photographer one day. I made this decision based on many factors, including my father's background in business, my design skills, and my passion for art, but one of the key factors is that I enjoy sharing stories. I discovered this from my experience as a first-generation atheist. My parents were both born in the Mormon church, and so was I, although I do not believe in the teachings of the Mormon church. This has resulted in a disagreement between me and my mother, as she has punished me for not going to church, and even looking at a website that taught me the truth about Mormonism. I have struggled to handle this, so I resorted to writing about my struggles in the form of fiction. Sharing my story helps me cope with my situtation, and because of this, I discovered that I want a career that will allow me to share stories. That is why I decided to be a photographer. In order to get an early start on my goals, I have volunteered to take photos of events at my school to be used for the yearbook. I do it because a simple picture can make someone's day, and with my mission being making others smile, I am willing to photograph others without even being paid. This experience has taught me the value of selflessness, and I have applied these lessons in my life in various ways. For these reasons, I have future plans involving helping others. I currently run a non-profit organization called Photos for First-Generation Atheists, whose mission is to support atheists with religious parents, and I plan to continue running this organization. I have learned over the course of my life that first-generation atheists can achieve a lot, and they deserve all of the support that they need because nobody should go through struggles alone. I believe that by helping others with similar challenges to mine, I will lead a fulfilling life. Moving forward, I will continue moving toward my goals of becoming a photographer, whether it is volunteering to photograph events, photographing for Photos for First-Generation Atheists, or my paid photography work, I will use any opportunity I have to help others using my photography service. I will be active in advocacy and volunteering because I enjoy helping others while working towards my cause of supporting atheists raised by religious parents.

My mental health journey has had a major impact on my life. It has mostly been a negative impact, because of how my parents treat the mental health crisis, as my parents both have the far-right view that the mental health crisis is of least concern. I know that the mental health crisis is only getting worse because of my own experiences with mental health. My mental health journey starts with the Mormon church. I am currently growing up in a family that has been in the Mormon church for four generations, although I do not believe in Mormonism, making me a first-generation atheist. My mother threatens to not give me any access to my phone if I do not attend church, though. This punishment makes me dread Sundays, as I have to choose between my phone or safety away from church. Because I found out that I didn't believe in the Mormon church because of advice from others on social media, I often choose my phone. The Mormon church has even affected how my parents think, as I have (unreasonably) gotten in trouble for looking at sources that contradict the teachings of Mormonism. In other words, I got in trouble for attempting to think for myself. As a result, I began to have worse relationships with my parents. My only source of comfort throughout this experience is writing about my struggles. In September of 2022, I started writing a book series about a girl who was experiencing similar struggles to the ones I have had. I started because it was the only confidential way for me to share my struggles, and it ended up working well. Although my hyper-religious mother thinks that the book series is hateful, my father tolerates it because he finds the books humorous. I find writing these books to be a means of comfort in my current world of religious differences with my parents, as they allow me to indirectly share how I feel about Mormonism and my related mental health struggles. Throughout all of this, I discovered that I liked sharing stories, so through a combination of my love for sharing stories and many other interests I had (such as my passion for design and the knowledge of business that I got from my father), I decided that I was going to be a photographer. Being a photographer will allow me to share my stories through the medium of images, so I felt that it would fulfill my desire to share stories in my career. If it wasn't for this experience, I probably would have been a graphic designer, but my mental health problems changed my career plans. As I am only a high school freshman at the award date of this scholarship, my story is still being written. Will I be able to successfully escape the Mormon church and live my life as a first-generation atheist, or will my parents force me to stay in the Mormon church for the rest of my life, causing my mental health problems to only get worse?

"Nothing is stronger than a broken man rebuilding himself." -Unknown I found this quote recently, and since then, I have thought about it a lot. I have come to realize that the quote reflects my mental health journey. My mental health journey starts with the Mormon church. Although my family has been Mormon for four generations, I never believed in the Mormon church's teachings. However, my parents would punish me for not listening to the lessons taught at church, so I did. My parents were still firm believers, though. This resulted in an unhealthy relationship between me and my parents. I have found it hard to speak my mind without my parents telling me that I was being hateful or having a hard heart. When I looked online for the truth about the Mormon church, it wasn't hard to find people who disapprove of Mormons. My mother didn't like this, so I was grounded for finding this type of content online. Isn't she biased? Doesn't that count as media censorship? The worst part is that this is how my entire childhood has been. In an attempt to overcome these struggles, I turned to fiction writing, since I was too scared to write a diary. I eventually started writing a book series about a girl's struggle with the cult she was raised in. Although my mother thinks these books are hateful (see paragraph 3), my father enjoys them because of the humor I add to the stories. Through my mental health struggles, I have found the confidence to share my struggles with being an atheist raised by Mormons. I have also found an interest in sharing stories, which has caused me to want to become a photographer. As a photographer, I will share stories through the medium of images. About six months ago, I had a dream that I have been thinking about months later. In the dream, my parents were taking my family to church. My parents went to the Mormon church as usual, while me and my sister went to a nearby church we had never been to. They were in the middle of a devotional, but I was distracted by a machine that could make any kind of food you could imagine. I tried to order a pizza from that machine, but since I didn't know how to use it, I accidentally ordered a pinecone. The meaning of that dream is why I have thought about it so much. Pinecones symbolize wisdom and opening the third eye. Because of this symbolism, the dream's meaning is that by leaving the Mormon church, I will find wisdom. Thinking back to the quote at the beginning of this entry, my life has been broken by my experiences in the Mormon church, and there will be power in me turning around my life by becoming a first-generation atheist, or an atheist raised by religious parents. However, I still love both of my parents, whether their love for me is conditional or unconditional, or whether they are hyper-religious or not.

My father is an auditing reasercher and economics professor, so I have been interested in business from a young age. When I was a child, he would often share some details about basic economics and accounting. As a result of my father's background in business, I became familiar with business early in my life. However, it wasn't until the seventh grade when I discovered that I wanted a career in business. After doing some research on various careers, I discovered that I was interested in advertising. Since I also had a passion for photography, I made plans to be an advertising photographer in the future. It seemed like the perfect fit for me until AI image generation became increasingly prevalent. In fact, there has already been enough development for AI-based cameras to be available in commercial smartphones. As a result, there could likely be a market crash as early as 2026. This scholarship will make a difference for me because it will help me in my journey to become an advertising photographer and save the industry from its doom. Although my father influenced my choice of career, I don't have a very healthy relationship with him. This is partially due to our religious differences, since I am an atheist, and he is a Mormon. Every time I try to speak my mind, he tells me that I am being hateful. As a result of my unhealthy relationship with my own father (and mother, since she is also a Mormon), my mental health has declined. I felt like there was no confidential place where I could tell anyone about my struggles as a first-generation atheist. I cope with this situation by writing stories about a girl who experiences similar struggles. My father enjoys reading these books because of the humor I insert into them, so I am still allowed to write these books, despite the fact that the furpose of these books is to cope with my religious differences with my parents. These stories also serve another purpose: assuring me that the day that I exit the Mormon church will come one day. My father letting me write them is proof that my parents are not hyper-religious. Since they aren't, I will probably be allowed to go to college immediately after I graduate high school without having to do any community service. However, I can not make any assumptions about my future this early, as I am only a prospective freshman who still has a story to complete.

I am an atheist, but I have been raised in a family that has been Mormon for four generations. Although I am thankful for the opportunities that my parents have given me, my religious differences with them have been a constant burden. As a result of this unhealthy relationship, I believe that if I was raised by atheists, this wouldn't have been a problem in my life. My parents have told me that I was being hateful when I was simply trying to speak my mind. They have also told me that I haven't been trying to listen to the lessons at church when I had tried in the past and determined that I was truly an atheist. To cope with these experiences, my strategy is to write about my struggles in the form of fiction. My parents have read the books that I have written, and thankfully, they are fine with it, despite the purpose of the writing. Writing has helped me cope with the situation I am in. As I am writing this, I will be starting my freshman year of high school in the fall, so my story remains to be completed. Will I be able to turn around my life? Will I regret my decision to leave the Mormon church? Were my parents right all along? These are questions about my future that I have asked myself. Eventually, I will be able to find the answers.

I am Laurel Piercey, and I have a passion for the arts, especially photography. I got my first camera when I was twelve, and since then, I have loved photography. Photography is more to me than just a hobby, though. I plan to become a photographer in the future because I already know a lot about photography, since I already own a professional camera. However, photography is not the only area of the arts that I am passionate about. After joining my school's yearbook club and impressing my PE teacher with my slideshow design skills, I found out that I enjoyed graphic design as well. I also like digital art because it is a good blend of technology, which I wanted a career in before I discovered that I wanted to be a photographer, and the arts. I see myself as a well-rounded artist who is skilled in and passionate about many different forms of digital art. I hope to study art in college (Design and Applied Arts specifically) because I simply enjoy the subject and want to learn more about it. It also fits my future carer aspirations by becoming a photographer because of the applications to photo editing. However, since I will be a design major, my career plans could easily change, and I could find myself as a graphic designer in the future. In short, I am choosing to study art because of my passion for it, and because it closely connects to my career plans. I already mentioned that I will be a photographer in the future, so I will also take photos for my online portfolio, and eventually become an advertising photographer. However, because the photography industry could likely experience a market crash by 2023 due to the risk of AI image generation, I will have to protect the photography industry by developing new photographic techniques that AI image generation programs cannot recreate. However, if the photography industry does experience a market crash, digital art will be my backup plan. I will run a website that will allow me to display my artwork, and I will also do commissions so that I can make money from my digital art. However, I did state that this is only a backup plan, since I am more passionate for photography. Even if the photography industry does survive, though, I will still have a passion for digital art and will keep doing it on the side.

I am unique because I will put in much more effort to follow my passion than everyone else. An example of this trait in action is the fact that I want to be a photographer, even when the industry has a chance of experiencing a market crash by 2030. I am aware that many other people also aspire to be photographers, so I will still pursue photography and try to protect the industry so that other people can too. Many other people do not have this character trait, so because I can be a source of comfort for other aspiring photographers who are also worried about their future, I stand out from other people in this way. I give back to my community by using this trait to my advantage to help others out. For example, I have volunteered to take photos and videos at my school's events since 2021. Although it isn't a more common type of volunteering, I still enjoy doing it because it combines my passion for photography with my love for helping people out and giving back to my community. My love for helping others also ties into why I want to save the photography industry. I want to do it not just for myself, but all of the other future photographers who are equally as good as today's photographers but may not have the same chance of success due to the state of the industry. Another sign of my ability to stand out from the crowd is my career choice. Many people grow up wanting to get a career in STEM because it pays well. However, since money is not a factor for me, I might as well turn one of my hobbies into a career, so I hope to be an advertising photographer. Many people overlook careers in the arts due to the fact that careers in STEM pay better. In fact, I sometimes felt pressured to give up my passion to get a better-paying job, but I am not one of those people who would ever give up on my dreams simply because of money. I am someone who has wanted to be a photographer since I was twelve years old, and unlike many other people, I will not let go of my passion for photography, and instead I will pursue it so that I can be successful. In other words, I am unique.

"The Mother You Wish You Had" - My original poem I can see the snow fall Behind my window. Even from here, I can still tell That your older brothers are out in the snow. I tried to help your older brothers, but They didn't learn much, anyway. Not even our mutt Could ever be smart enough to blow me away. But I have hope in you. I recognize That I underestimated you. But to my surprise, You are a capable girl, and there's nothing you can't do. Side note: This poem deals with the theme of how it is important to have people who care for you in your life. The speaker in the poem is a mother of three children, with the older two being not very smart. However, the youngest child, who the mother is speaking to, is smarter than them. The mother, instead of being relieved that at least one smart child, is proud of her daughter, and she wants her to use her intelligence for the better.

Ever since I was twelve years old, I have been interested in photography. I can still recall the day I received my first camera and I found out that I enjoyed photography enough to make it my career in the future. Unfortunately, the photography industry is in danger of seeing a market crash, since recent AI development has led to computer programs that use AI to generate images. If AI image generation more efficient and produce high-quality images quicker, then they will eventually become mainstream in technology. If people have access to these programs in their pockets at all times, then nobody will ever need a photographer anymore. As an aspiring photographer, I firmly believe that the solution to this problem is for photographers everywhere to use technology to their advantage to improve the state of the industry. I am hoping to use my knowledge of technology to protect the industry from the threat of artificial intelligence development, so I will receive education in multiple disciplines of technology. For example, because the current state of captchas is image-based and uses machine learning, I hope to receive education in cybersecurity and programming so that I can develop a more effective captcha system that is not image-based. Because the photography industry is also directly threatened by AI image generation, I plan to major in photography and, with my knowledge, develop new photographic techniques that cannot be emulated by artificial intelligence. Of course, in order to know if it is possible for AI to complete a specific task, I will need to know how to develop AI programs and know the constraints of programming for AI, so I will receive this knowledge by studying computer science.