I try to leave a positive mark on the world through kind words. A simple compliment or words of encouragement could turn someones day around. My dad has always said, "If you can make someone's interaction with you the best part of their day, then you absolutely should." It is easy to be rude or backhanded when you feel that you have been wronged; I feel like many people struggle with this when it comes to customer service workers. But I can think of a few times when I have messed up, and I am incredibly thankful for the people on the receiving end of those mess-ups who were gracious and patient with me. We are all just trying our best. Last year, I competed in my first Model United Nations conference. I went in extremely unprepared and anxious about competing. After my team presented our resolution, I was almost in tears because I felt like I had not performed to my best ability and let my team down. Eventually, I stopped speaking up because I felt like I was doing horrible. Then, an officer from the conference direct messaged me on Instagram and told me that she loved our resolution, and she thought we were doing great. Because of her words, I started speaking again, and I ended up winning multiple awards. Because of her simple words, I became confident in my abilities. Since then, I have participated in many conferences like Model UN, and I even hold a leadership position. If that officer had not reached out to me, I probably would have given up on the conference. An act that was so simple ended up changing my life. I hope that I can inspire people with my words, too.

I have always been a very active student with excellent grades; however, I am not blind to the fact that some of the privileges I hold have helped me succeed. For example, I have always had many resources available to me that other students may not have due to financial or family reasons. If needed, my parents have always found a way to provide tutoring, club fees, involvement, and so much more. I have also been very blessed to always have food, internet, and security. Although my hard work has also played a role in my success, many students who are also hard workers may not have the opportunities I have had. In my community, I would like to see more opportunities for students to succeed. This could happen in many different ways; including, free tutoring, waiving some club fees, internet access for all students, free classes to help students learn how to be successful, and so much more. Some students cannot afford college trips, club fees, tutoring, and athletic team fees. Finding a way to provide these to low-income students could change lives and invest in our community. Also, the most powerful tool anyone can have is education. Some kids might not learn how to do things such as apply to college, apply for a job, and make smart financial decisions at home, so we could implement community programs to teach these things. Personally, the first step that I would like to take is implementing free tutoring at my school. Students and teachers could volunteer their time after school to help students that need tutoring. Students could tutor peers younger than them in subjects they have taken and made excellent grades in, while teachers could guide students in their areas of expertise. These peer tutors could earn service hours while helping their community. We could also provide free ACT prep. ACT prep can be incredibly expensive; therefore, it is not an option for some students. I would like to implement a program where students can prep for college admissions tests for free through gracious teachers who volunteer some of their time. Often times great extracurriculars can make or break scholarship opportunities, but these extracurriculars can be expensive and out of the question for some students. Most clubs come with fees, and almost all honor societies come with a price tag, too. Team sports fees can also be costly. Even at public schools, you usually must pay to have these opportunities. Finding a way to make some of these things cost less or even free could be a complete game-changer for some students. We could do this by opening up donations or fundraisers for low-income students to have their fees waived. Personally, I feel that opportunities should come to those who work hard and strive to do their best, not to those who can pay for it. The biggest issue is that some students do not even have the basic necessities to survive, much less thrive in their environments. Many students, especially in public schools, experience food insecurity. While most schools do a great job of ensuring that their students are fed through things like free meals and the backpack program, I would like to lobby for better allocation of these funds. Last year, every student in my high school was given a free EBT card that held 250$ that could be used on food. It is excellent that we have found funds to help students who face food insecurity. However, the issue is that although we are a Title I school, many students do not need this card. I feel that we could have distributed this money in a way that made sure that the lowest income students received the most aid, ensuring that every single student was given ample help. Another way that we could help low-income students is to offer classes, either in school or out of school, to help students learn about things that they otherwise would probably not learn at home. My mom is an Academic Coach at a middle school in a different county than my school. At her school, they have a program called "AVID" that teaches students who would be first-generation college students the things that they need to apply to college. Since many students could succeed in college but do not attend because they either have not learned about it from their parents or do not feel financially capable, this program could change lives. I would like to implement a program like "AVID" at my school. Many students at public schools have the will, intelligence, and overall capability to be incredibly successful, but many students struggle because of outside factors. We could do many things as a society to help these kids, but I would like to start by addressing tutoring, club and athletic fees, food insecurity, and programs to help students succeed. These things are simple, and some of them are even free. Many brilliant and talented individuals have not had the tools that they need to succeed, and I want to help fix that in my community. I have faith in my community, and I believe that we could make monumental impacts on students' lives if we work together. I believe that if everyone works together, we can make monumental impacts on the world.

My dad has always told me, "everything is temporary." This advice has helped me get through many hard times and enjoy life to the fullest. Hard times are fleeting, and good times are temporary. But this is a good thing because if life stayed the same all the time, you would never get to experience the ultimate highs of your life. If everything was good all of the time, how would you have a concept of what was good? Without experiencing the temporary negative times of your life, you would never fully appreciate the great times you will have. I have spent time crying about the lost friendships and relationships I have had, but these experiences have been learning experiences for me. By understanding that things are temporary, I have been allowed to let better things into my life. If I had dwelled on these experiences instead of recognizing that nothing lasts forever, I would never have moved past them. This philosophy has also aided me in working through rough times. You will not be sad forever. Things will get better again; they always do. Hard times are always more manageable if you can see the way out, and the only way out is through. Understanding that everything is fleeting makes you appreciate the things in your life a little bit more. You appreciate the little things and love the things around you more when you know they will not last forever. Friendships and experiences are sweeter when you are focused on enjoying them. Although it may sound sad and a little pessimistic, the words "everything is temporary" have helped me live my life to the fullest. I have cherished every moment of my life, even if they weren't the best. I have made it through rough times and enjoyed the good times for what they were a little bit more. I get more out of my friendships and more out of life. Every experience that I have had has been a little bit better, a little richer since I have taken these words to heart.

There have been times in my life that if you asked me, "What do you love about yourself?" I would have pondered forever, trying to think of something. But, even when my self-love was low, I felt that I was always good at loving others, which is what I love most about myself. Now I can see things that I love in other people that I can find inside of myself, too. by taking a little time each day to recognize the things that I love about myself, I have grown as a person. I love how my mom continuously checks on people when they seem upset, which she taught me to do. I love how my best friend's eyes light up when she is talking about something she is passionate about. I admire her passion, courageousness, and drive every day. I love that I have taken the things that I admire about her to make myself a better person. I appreciate my dad's sense of humor, the same one that I have. But more than anything, I love that I was able to notice these things. I believe that the best way to find self-love is to love others. Through loving others, I have seen things I love about myself within the people around me. I have also learned to find areas that I could learn to love a little more through loving others. I love that I am a part of a world that no matter how bad things seem, we can always find something that we love if we look hard enough.

Growing up, I always made sure that I took books everywhere: school, car rides, doctor's appointments, and vacations. I always made sure that I brought a book. In May of 2020, the unthinkable happened: I ran out of books. Since Covid was in full swing, we were too fearful of going to a library or book store. I had always stocked up on books to ensure that I had something to read, but I had read through every book I owned since I had an abundance of time. I started looking through any books we had lying around. In a cabinet upstairs, I found one that I decided to read; Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I immediately fell in love with Little Women. The character Jo March spoke to me because I felt like I related to her. I never thought that I could relate so much to a character that was written so long ago. All of the characters have stood the test of time; they are all still incredibly relatable and loveable today. I adore the lessons that are taught in Little Women. Jo March showed that the ideas and aspirations of women are just as important as those of men. Humility, honesty, kindness, and forgiveness can be learned through Meg March. Beth March, the "gentle giver," represents tolerance and graciousness. I love the growth of Amy March; her character grows to be humble, wise, and strong. Amy's monologue about the place of women in society is my favorite monologue in any piece of literature I have ever read. These characters complement each other beautifully to bring strong themes to the story. Writing a story that can impact readers long after it is written is what truly makes a "classic.", and Little Women does this beautifully.