instagram: Rachel.elaine.p I am proud to be a woman because we deal with so much and can inspire change in the way that we are treated from men. As women, we create a safe space for other women and can lift each other up and protect each other from abuse from men.

When my grandmother died in 2016, I had no idea what I was going to do with myself. It was the second major loss that I had in my family at the age of 15. My grandmother was the only person who believed in me, and believed that I could achieve whatever I set my mind to. So when she passed away due to kidney failure from years of battling multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, I was lost. I had no idea what I was going to do without her cheering me on. But I pushed through and even though I struggled, I graduated high school, knowing that she would be proud but being sad that she never got to see me walk across the stage. Today, I am in undergraduate school at Midwestern State University. I am studying History, which no one in my family agrees with or supports. I almost changed my major, knowing that I was not going to be happy in whatever else I chose. I thought about what my grandma would have told me, which was to "do whatever makes you happy." And so without the support from other members of my family, I am planning on getting my degree in History and then going to graduate school to get my masters and doctorate. Because of my grandma and my memory of her even after all of this time, I have fought for my dreams and will be able to accomplish them because I know that my grandma would be proud of me as long as I am happy.

Until recently, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life—I knew that I had to get a job, hopefully one that pays well, but that is about it. It wasn't until my second year of college that I had found out what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to teach. I want to teach history and have people interact with a subject that gets overlooked most of the time. I want people to share an interest and fascination with history. History is one of the many underfunded subjects today, which is sad because we as people can learn so much from events that have happened in the past. People often overlook it and find it boring because many of the things that they are taught in high school is just the basics—George Washington, the Civil War, The Red Scare, and the Space Race. By getting my doctorate in History, I plan to teach college students history and make it exciting, tell them things that they may have never heard of. I do not want them to just get the basics of history, I want them to realize that history can both be fun and informative. Students should not just get taught the basics, because no one likes learning just the basics. One of the many things that brings me joy in this world is learning and teaching others. I love getting into conversations about history and having my friends ask me questions about events that have happened. Some day, I plan on going to many historical sites around the world to expand my knowledge of the world and to begin to think about things in a different light. I think figuring out everyone's perspective in history is important and I hope by visiting historical sites, I can get a better understanding of the way that people used to think and tie it back to today's thinking. One thing that I have learned over the years is that history does not repeat itself but instead rhymes. Meaning, of course, that events that have happened in the past are never going to be exactly alike, but they can help us better understand the future and how certain things happen.

This year at college has been difficult for me to make friends because of the ongoing pandemic. It is very hard to talk to people in the classroom because of social distancing. One thing that has helped me in the search for friends and new experiences is clubs and extracurricular activities. Last semester, I had decided to go to an event at my school to watch the historical presidential election. It was November 3, 2020, and I went to the watch party that was hosted by our history club. There were not a lot of people there, and everything was spaced out due to social distancing. I went in and someone decided to sit down by me. I got more comfortable with them and we hit things off. Later that night, the president of the history club decided to sit down beside me and she offered me a position as the Risk Manager of the club to make sure that we follow COVID-19 guidelines. As I went to the meetings, I quickly started to make new friends. If I decided to stay home that night, I never would have gotten out of my shell. By going, not only did I gain friends, but I also gained a position in a club that will give me experience when it comes to my future. As someone who plans on going into academia, more specifically history, this club has helped me with my public speaking skills and has further prepared me for my future.

Art has always had a prominent part in my life. I love photography and I think that the stories photos tell is wonderful. A photo can tell about grief, heartache, love, happiness, any emotion you can think of. Even though I am not currently going to school to pursue art, I am very passionate about photography. This summer, I am planing on studying abroad in both London and France. I want to see the world and the study abroad program is just the way to do it. Through study abroad, you can see how other people live, and through photographs, you have a way to memorialize the experiences and the people. You may grow old, but your memories and the people in them always remain young. Study abroad is a great way to make memories. I am planning on bringing my camera with me while studying abroad so I can remember every single experience. I think that this experience can help me develop as a person. Once I get outside of the bubble that is the United States, I think that I will be able to be a lot more expressive. In my little bubble of Texas, I often feel like it is a very oppressive place—you have to look a certain way, you have to be a good Christian woman and marry a good man and have a couple of kids. I do not want such a traditional lifestyle. I don't want to "settle." I want to leave the country and have the freedom to express myself however I want. I want to document all of these experiences and I want to be able to grow as a person. I want to flourish and I think that both me and my art will be able to do that during a semester abroad.