My grandparents, both turning 82 this year and married for 61 years, have shaped me immeasurably to this day, with their bravery in facing new challenges and fearlessness in following opportunities. Climbing the corporate engineering ladder in the 1970’s, my grandpa created a stable, normal life for his family until he was approached by their church and asked to move to the countryside outside of Giddings, Texas, to start a camp. He and my grandmother were provided with the challenge of transforming a girls’ rodeo camp into a retreat center where youth and adults alike could find community with those around them, beauty in the natural world, and a closer relationship with God. Within a few years, they had turned dilapidated buildings into colorful, homey spaces teeming with art, history, and character. They mowed trails through enchanting woods, grassy hills, and fields of spring wildflowers. Even the pickiest of eaters couldn’t resist the homemade meals that my grandma created. However, none of this came without it's challenges. From burst pipes in cold weather to snakes on the camp grounds to staffer pranks gone too far, my grandparents were faced with an hundreds of opportunities to adapt inconvenient circumstances, prioritize the safety of others over their own, and most importantly lead with humility and grace. Together they created a haven that brought an estimated 500,000 people over 32 years to rejoice in creation. After retiring, they left the camp, but my grandparents still lead a life of generosity and creativity, continuing to build an enormous community of people who they have impacted with their service throughout their lives. The lessons that they learned and the stories that they have taken from their experiences were the foundation of my mentorship from them from as early as I can remember. Even after retirement, they constantly reminded me about what it takes to bring others into spaces where they feel seen, loved, and known. They spent decades learning and growing and simply passed off the the knowledge and wisdom that they gained to me so that I might also create meaningful spaces for others. I’m endlessly thankful for their leadership, service, and the role models they have been for me.

Growing up, like most kids who grew up in a Christian home, I was worried that my testimony wasn't "good enough." Due to social media, my generation suffers from a constant need to be the most victimized person in the room to get attention. This comparison took hold and held a firm grasp in my childhood friend group. When my childhood best friend's dad was removed from paid staff at our church, the congregation revolted thinking my family was to blame, and eventually our church had to close its doors. At 12, I really didn't understand what was going on, only that my best friend didn't want to be friends anymore and I didn't know why. Additionally, our whole friend group chose sides, and I became the outcast. When I was struggling with processing the closure of our church and the rejection of my family in our local Christian community, I felt that I had nowhere to go. Ultimately, I felt, and sometimes still do, that grieving lost friendships and a lost church community wasn't acceptable because I was told by my friends that God just wanted me to move on and find new community. I carried a deep sense of shame about growing up in a flawed church community that I was hurt by, and I struggled with insecurity, comparison, and anxiety because others around me hadn't been hurt in the same way. I felt that being accepted by God meant shoving down all my hurts because no one wants to see that. Throughout my first semester at college, I found that it was quite the opposite. During the rocky transition into college, I realized that I was still holding on to a fear of being rejected by others because of my church past, and I learned that being vulnerable with others and sharing those hurts deepens my connections with others has helped heal that fear. I also found that God isn't afraid of my hurt, my anger, or my fears. Laying everything at his feet in prayer has been one of the best things I could have ever done, and trusting that he fully knows and understands me has made me braver in each new arena I step into. Truly giving myself to the LORD has taught me that my church hurt and my experiences in the church is the largest strength in my testimony. Many Americans leave the church due to abuse in the church, and I now stand as a beacon of hope for others that there can be healing and restoration on the other side of religious trauma. Throughout the rest of my college career, I want to reach those who have been hurt by the church and help others reconnect with God and find new life in Him.

As the oldest of 5 siblings, and the daughter of business owners in my community, I have had many opportunities to adapt to new situations and lead out in tackling and smoothing out road bumps in school, family, and work. I make it a point in my leadership to look for gaps in the services or experiences that others benefit from and fill those gaps to assure an amazing experience for a classmate, sibling, client, or camper. Throughout elementary school and middle school, I went to a dance camp called Talitha Cumi, and after aging out I joined their team of camp counselors where I led groups of campers in dance and scripture memory. Ultimately, I was promoted to Talitha Cumi’s executive leadership team and given 3 counselors to oversee as they led groups. We spent weeks preparing and faced many challenges: adding boys to the camp, organizing snacks for the campers, thinking of games to play, and skits to act out. The greatest challenge that I navigated was in taking on two extra groups with three more counselors and 22 more kids in the middle of our camp session. During Talitha Cumi I was tasked with helping the counselors make their way from activity to activity and by entertaining all 33 of the original campers during snack time with books and silly games so that the counselors could take a break. However, on the first day, one of the other executive leaders had to devote her time to something else, and I saw a need. I saw that the counselors that she was overseeing needed help knowing where to go and didn’t have the same opportunity to take breaks that my counselors had, so I stepped up, balanced 5 groups, and ensured that 68 kids had a blast at camp. At the end of the week, seeing 68 smiling campers and 6 smiling counselors as they sang their last song and danced their last dance at camp, I felt that it was a job well done. By keeping my head up in the face of adversity, I hope to use the skills I learned through Talitha Cumi in every aspect of my life from personal to academic to professional. I hope to be a resilient leader who can problem solve to make others’ jobs easier. I strive to bring creative ideas to the table when brainstorming in groups and to communicate and listen to my coworkers well.

Anne of Green Gables was the first book that I had ever read and loved. Its simplicity surrounded by vivid descriptions of Prince Edward Island and Avonlea captivated my 7-year-old mind. I first saw the 1980's version of the story at my 8th birthday party, which was Anne of Green Gables themed. Seeing my favorite story come to life just as I had already imagined it brought me so much joy. Our backyard had turned into the White Way of Delight for the party and seeing its magnificence as L. M. Montgomery might have seen it added so much to the film and to my experience with the story. As someone who was an avid reader and had used words larger than I was from the time I could talk. Anne was the most relatable character that had been presented to me at that point in my life. Megan Follows made Anne and her tender-hearted spunk so much more tangible to me. L. M. Montgomery created a wonderful role model for strong willed girls when she created Anne, and the movie makes Anne so much more appreciable to audiences. One of the great differences between the book and the movie, is the audience's ability to focus on various aspects of each medium. Like many other books, Anne of Green Gables highlights Anne's inner monologue and her personhood so well, giving the audience a perfect view into what is going on in each aspect of her life as Anne and other characters interpret it. In contrast, the movie gives Prince Edward Island life and meaning in the story, making it a character. Where Anne and her companions are and what is going on around them impacts the audience's interpretation of the story. If Anne spouted her poetry in the center of 1900's Manhattan, Anne innocently enjoying her surroundings would not have quite the same impact on viewers as it does on Prince Edward Island. One of my favorite moments in both the book and the movie is Anne's epic overreaction to the handsome Gilbert Blythe calling her "carrots." Her passion and rage jump off the page and the screen. Although she is validated by not wanting to be teased, her reaction leaves me speechless every time I see the movie. In conclusion, Anne of Green Gables is a wonderful story for all audiences, but especially young girls with big imaginations. L. M. Montgomery and later Kevin Sullivan work to create relatable characters surrounded by fabulous vocabulary and beautiful scenery, making it my favorite book to screen adaption.

We knew nothing about candles in the beginning, but somehow, in just seven short years, my family turned a dream into a growing enterprise. We started with pillar candles, melting the blocks of wax in a pot on the electric stove in our apartment kitchen, churning the liquid wax with cubes of rich purples and joyous pinks, and finally, pouring tall, gleaming towers of wax. We dreamed of containers, beeswax, pillars, tapers, and beyond. I had just turned 10 and was intrigued by the idea of starting a candle company, having already brainstormed countless lemonade stands, bake sales, and even an American cuisine restaurant brand named, “Bestie Chefties” so that I could include my neighbor into my entrepreneurship. Two years later we had the opportunity to sell candles at the Jingle Bell Market, a shopping event designed to bring artisans and craftsmen local to Brazos County to one place for shoppers to discover. There was only one problem: we had no product to sell. We set off on another journey of experimentation and learning. Searching for a container, we discovered a glass canning jar, which became our signature look. We also chose a name: Dreamer Candle Company. We discovered that pouring candles in clear glass candles was not as easy it’s made out to be. We poured many candles, developing a product that we were proud of. After hard work and experimenting, we were left with one very different problem: what kind of scents should we sell? I was 11, and excited about the project. Things were moving too slowly for my liking, and I desperately wanted to help. Seeing an opportunity while my parents were out of town, and I had my siblings, grandparents, and cousins as a captive audience, I organized all our test fragrances into a spreadsheet, dabbed a little bit of each one onto a cotton ball, and placed them into assorted labeled bags ranging from Ziplocs to brown paper bags. I created a survey to poll my family on what their favorite scents were, what color each scent would be, and what each smell made them feel. Once they returned, my parents loved my research and used it to create and launch our first line of scented candles the following fall. At the market while presenting our collection of hand poured holiday scented candles, I met many new people and joyfully shared about the products we had made. Over the course of the event, I discovered my favorite part of running a small business: the connections with our customers. It was impactful for me to see my customers’ faces as I told them the story of how we had started our business. Seeing their eyes light up as I told them about wicking the candles with a hot glue gun or the large, wooden boxes we built to aid the wax as it adheres to the glass was a feeling like no other. As we continue to return to the market, I find myself physically exhausted at the very end of each year; however, mentally and emotionally I am fulfilled seeing men and women, young and old, adore the welcoming, homey candles we create. Selling more and more candles and garnering a reputation for creating simple and pleasant scents, we have continued to work together to take our business forward. We now sell at two markets annually, have created a web page, and fostered a social media presence. We have navigated problems, taken risks, and learned from our mistakes and our successes.

We knew nothing about candles in the beginning, but somehow, in just seven short years, my family turned a dream into a growing enterprise. My dad had a goal of starting a family business and my parents chose to try candle making. In the very beginning, my dad bought books and a candle making kit from Hobby Lobby and we began experimenting. We started with pillar candles, melting the blocks of wax in a pot on the electric stove in our apartment kitchen, churning the liquid wax with cubes of rich purples and joyous pinks, and finally, pouring tall, gleaming towers of wax. We gazed upon our first batch of candles: a set of advent candles for our church, wondering how we could take this new skill and create a business out of it. We dreamed of containers, beeswax, pillars, tapers, and beyond. I had just turned 10 and was intrigued by the idea of starting a candle company, having already brainstormed countless lemonade stands, bake sales, and even an American cuisine restaurant brand named, “Bestie Chefties” so that I could include my neighbor into my entrepreneurship. Two years later we had the opportunity to sell candles at the Jingle Bell Market, a shopping event designed to bring artisans and craftsmen local to Brazos County to one place for shoppers to discover. There was only one problem: we had no product to sell. Our unscented pillar candles weren’t going to take us very far. Returning to our ideas from two years prior, we settled on a container candle with fragrance; however, we quickly learned that container candles are a completely different craft. We set off on another journey of experimentation and learning. Searching for a container, we discovered a glass canning jar, which became our signature look. We also chose a name: Dreamer Candle Company. After finding the container, we discovered that pouring candles in clear glass candles was not as easy it’s made out to be. The wax had to be heated to a precise temperature and could not be left melted for too long, or it would burn and discolor. Similarly, the fragrance had to be added at an exact temperature, the candle had to be poured at a specific temperature, the candle could not sit out in the open air to cool, for the wax shrank away from the glass, and the wicks had to be the right size to burn the wax all the way to the glass. We poured many candles, developing a product that we were proud of. After hard work and experimenting, we were left with one very different problem: what kind of scents should we sell? I was 11, and excited about the project. Things were moving too slowly for my liking, and I desperately wanted to help. Seeing an opportunity while my parents were out of town, and I had my siblings, grandparents, and cousins as a captive audience, I organized all our test fragrances into a spreadsheet, dabbed a little bit of each one onto a cotton ball, and placed them into assorted labeled bags ranging from Ziplocs to brown paper bags. I created a survey to poll my family on what their favorite scents were, what color each scent would be, and what each smell made them feel. Once they returned, my parents loved my research and used it to create and launch our first line of scented candles the following fall. At the market while presenting our collection of hand poured holiday scented candles, I met many new people and joyfully shared about the products we had made. Over the course of the event, I discovered my favorite part of running a small business: the connections with our customers. It was impactful for me to see my customers’ faces as I told them the story of how we had started our business. Seeing their eyes light up as I told them about wicking the candles with a hot glue gun or the large, wooden boxes we built to aid the wax as it adheres to the glass was a feeling like no other. As we continue to return to the market, I find myself physically exhausted at the very end of each year; however, mentally and emotionally I am fulfilled seeing men and women, young and old, adore the welcoming, homey candles we create. Selling more and more candles and garnering a reputation for creating simple and pleasant scents, we have continued to work together to take our business forward. We now sell at two markets annually, have created a web page, and fostered a social media presence. We have navigated problems, taken risks, and learned from our mistakes and our successes.

As the oldest of 5 siblings, and the daughter of business owners in my community, I have had many opportunities to adapt to new situations and lead out in tackling and smoothing out road bumps in school, family, and work. I make it a point in my leadership to look for gaps in the services or experiences that others benefit from and fill those gaps to assure an amazing experience for a classmate, sibling, client, or camper. Throughout elementary school and middle school, I went to a dance camp called Talitha Cumi, and after aging out I joined their team of camp counselors where I led groups of campers in dance and scripture memory. Ultimately, I was promoted to Talitha Cumi’s executive leadership team and given 3 counselors to oversee as they led groups. We spent weeks preparing and faced many challenges: adding boys to the camp, organizing snacks for the campers, thinking of games to play, and skits to act out. The greatest challenge that I navigated was in taking on two extra groups with three more counselors and 22 more kids in the middle of our camp session. During Talitha Cumi I was tasked with helping the counselors make their way from activity to activity and by entertaining all 33 of the original campers during snack time with books and silly games so that the counselors could take a break. However, on the first day, one of the other executive leaders had to devote her time to something else, and I saw a need. I saw that the counselors that she was overseeing needed help knowing where to go and didn’t have the same opportunity to take breaks that my counselors had, so I stepped up, balanced 5 groups, and ensured that 68 kids had a blast at camp. At the end of the week, seeing 68 smiling campers and 6 smiling counselors as they sang their last song and danced their last dance at camp, I felt that it was a job well done. I could have given up or chosen not to help the leaders who needed help; however, I chose to keep my head high and figure out a solution. In the future I hope to use the skills I learned through Talitha Cumi. I hope to be a resilient leader who can problem solve to make others’ jobs easier. I strive to bring creative ideas to the table when brainstorming in groups and to communicate and listen to my coworkers well.

We knew nothing about candles in the beginning, but somehow, in just seven short years, my family turned a dream into a growing enterprise. My dad had a goal of starting a family business and my parents chose to try candle making. We started with pillar candles, melting the blocks of wax in a pot on the electric stove in our apartment kitchen, churning the liquid wax with cubes of rich purples and joyous pinks, and finally, pouring tall, gleaming towers of wax. I had just turned 10 and was intrigued by the idea of starting a candle company, having already brainstormed countless lemonade stands, bake sales, and even an American cuisine restaurant brand named, “Bestie Chefties” so that I could include my neighbor into my entrepreneurship. Two years later we had the opportunity to sell candles at the Jingle Bell Market, a shopping event designed to bring artisans and craftsmen local to Brazos County to one place for shoppers to discover. There was only one problem: we had no product to sell. Our unscented pillar candles weren’t going to take us very far. We set off on another journey of experimentation and learning. After finding the container, we discovered that pouring candles in clear glass candles was not as easy it’s made out to be. We poured many candles, developing a product that we were proud of. After hard work and experimenting, we were left with one very different problem: what kind of scents should we sell? I was now 11, and excited about the project. Things were moving too slowly for my liking, and I desperately wanted to help. Seeing an opportunity while my parents were out of town, and I had my siblings, grandparents, and cousins as a captive audience, I organized all our test fragrances into a spreadsheet, dabbed a little bit of each one onto a cotton ball, and placed them into assorted labeled bags ranging from Ziplocs to brown paper bags. I created a survey to poll my family on what their favorite scents were, what color each scent would be, and what each smell made them feel. Once they returned, my parents loved my research and used it to create and launch our first line of scented candles the following fall. At the market while presenting our collection of hand poured holiday scented candles, I met many new people and joyfully shared about the products we had made. Over the course of the event, I discovered my favorite part of running a small business: the connections with our customers. It was impactful for me to see my customers’ faces as I told them the story of how we had started our business. Seeing their eyes light up as I told them about wicking the candles with a hot glue gun or the large, wooden boxes we built to aid the wax as it adheres to the glass was a feeling like no other. As we continue to return to the market, I find myself physically exhausted at the very end of each year; however, mentally and emotionally I am fulfilled seeing men and women, young and old, adore the welcoming, homey candles we create. Selling more and more candles and garnering a reputation for creating simple and pleasant scents, we have continued to work together to take our business forward. We now sell at two markets annually, have created a web page, and fostered a social media presence. We have navigated problems, taken risks, and learned from our mistakes and our successes.

All of the characters on Stranger Things have many pros and cons; however, there are a few who stand out as most capable of taking down Hawkins' next enemy. Eleven feels like an obvious choice. She has a connection to the super natural and to the upside down that the audience doesn't truly understand yet. With her ability to close the gate in season two, and her banishing of 1 in season 4, she is a force to be reckoned with. Although we haven't seen these two work together, my next selection would be Nancy Wheeler. She's bright, witty, and loyal to her friends and family, almost to a fault. She is an investigator and knows her way around Hawkins and its citizens. The final character in my draft is Mike Wheeler. He doesn't have El's abilities and he's not a sleuth, but, as explored in season 4, he is a leader and he brings his friends and family together. Eleven and Mike's love for each other has been shown to be a power greater than the evil that faces Hawkins. His gentleness and innocence will counter balance the energy brought to the group by Eleven and Nancy. He is a logical thinker and will be the secret weapon for this team. With Eleven's powers, Nancy's brains, and Mike's humanity, these 3 are perfect team to take down whatever faces Hawkins and the rest of the world in season 5. This group isn't much, but that is exactly what this show is about. The very normal characters that we all know and love rallying together to create a team to take down an evil that is much bigger than themselves.

As the oldest of 5 siblings, and the daughter of business owners in my community, I have had many opportunities to adapt to new situations and lead out in tackling and smoothing out road bumps in school, family, and work. I make it a point in my leadership to look for gaps in the services or experiences that others benefit from and fill those gaps to assure an amazing experience for a classmate, sibling, client, or camper. Throughout elementary school and middle school, I went to a dance camp called Talitha Cumi, and after aging out I joined their team of camp counselors where I led groups of campers in dance and scripture memory. Ultimately, I was promoted to Talitha Cumi’s executive leadership team and given 3 counselors to oversee as they led groups. We spent weeks preparing and faced many challenges: adding boys to the camp, organizing snacks for the campers, thinking of games to play, and skits to act out. The greatest challenge that I navigated was in taking on two extra groups with three more counselors and 22 more kids in the middle of our camp session. During Talitha Cumi I was tasked with helping the counselors make their way from activity to activity and by entertaining all 33 of the original campers during snack time with books and silly games so that the counselors could take a break. However, on the first day, one of the other executive leaders had to devote her time to something else, and I saw a need. I saw that the counselors that she was overseeing needed help knowing where to go and didn’t have the same opportunity to take breaks that my counselors had, so I stepped up, balanced 5 groups, and ensured that 68 kids had a blast at camp. At the end of the week, seeing 68 smiling campers and 6 smiling counselors as they sang their last song and danced their last dance at camp, I felt that it was a job well done. Throughout my time at Talitha Cumi, I learned many things about the ups and downs of leadership, but this is just the beginning of my journey to become an excellent leader. In the future I hope to use the skills I learned to be a resilient leader who can problem solve to make others’ jobs easier. My goal is to use wisdom and critical thinking to guide others in their jobs and education. I strive to bring creative ideas to the table when brainstorming in groups and to communicate and listen to my coworkers well.

I have chosen to go into hospitality because my grandparents, both turning 80 this year and married for 59 years, have shaped me immeasurably to this day, with their bravery in facing new challenges and fearlessness in following opportunities. Climbing the corporate engineering ladder in the 1970’s, my grandpa created a stable, normal life for his family until he was approached by their church and asked to move to the countryside outside of Giddings, Texas, to start a camp. He and my grandmother were provided with the challenge of transforming a girls’ rodeo camp into a retreat center where youth and adults alike could find community, beauty, and God. Within a few years, they had turned dilapidated buildings into colorful, homey spaces teeming with art, history, and character. They mowed trails through enchanting woods, grassy hills, and fields of spring wildflowers. Even the pickiest of eaters couldn’t resist the homemade meals that my grandma created. Together they created a space that brought an estimated 500,000 people over 32 years to rejoice in creation. After retiring, they left the camp, but my grandparents still lead a life of generosity and creativity, continuing to build an enormous community of people who they have impacted with their service throughout their lives. I am inspired by their selflessness in creating welcoming spaces for all, and I hope to follow in their footsteps, giving my time and resources to others and their needs at any opportunity.

As the oldest of 5 siblings, and the daughter of business owners in my community, I have had many opportunities to adapt to new situations and lead out in tackling and smoothing out road bumps in school, family, and work. I make it a point in my leadership to look for gaps in the services or experiences that others benefit from and fill those gaps to assure an amazing experience for a classmate, sibling, client, or camper. Throughout elementary school and middle school, I went to a dance camp called Talitha Cumi, and after aging out I joined their team of camp counselors where I led groups of campers in dance and scripture memory. Ultimately, I was promoted to Talitha Cumi’s executive leadership team and given 3 counselors to oversee as they led groups. We spent weeks preparing and faced many challenges: adding boys to the camp, organizing snacks for the campers, thinking of games to play, and skits to act out. The greatest challenge that I navigated was in taking on two extra groups with three more counselors and 22 more kids in the middle of our camp session. During Talitha Cumi I was tasked with helping the counselors make their way from activity to activity and by entertaining all 33 of the original campers during snack time with books and silly games so that the counselors could take a break. However, on the first day, one of the other executive leaders had to devote her time to something else, and I saw a need. I saw that the counselors that she was overseeing needed help knowing where to go and didn’t have the same opportunity to take breaks that my counselors had, so I stepped up, balanced 5 groups, and ensured that 68 kids had a blast at camp. At first, I was a little nervous about taking on more responsibility. I didn't know if I would be able to balance everyone's needs. Overcoming my fears by the end of the week, I saw 68 smiling campers and 6 smiling counselors as they sang their last song and danced their last dance at camp, and I felt that it was a job well done. In the future I hope to use the skills I learned through Talitha Cumi. I hope to be a resilient leader who can problem solve to make others’ jobs easier. I strive to bring creative ideas to the table when brainstorming in groups and to communicate and listen to my coworkers well.