2023 has been a rollercoaster of a year for me. I started the year off stuck in a major depressive episode that left me feeling stuck for months. From December 2022 to July 2023, I was drowning in feelings of hopelessness and despair. I often felt that nothing would ever change and that I would be stuck in that miserable state forever. At the beginning of August 2023, I decided to take control of my own life. Despite any backlash or doubts that would come my way because of my choices, I knew that for me to find happiness again, something needed to change. So I decided to attend college in New York City. This decision shocked my family and friends and caused many people to stress over my actions. They believed that I was being irrational in my choices and didn't truly know what I was doing. Despite the chaos caused by my decision, I stayed firm in my choice to move to New York City and for the first time in eight months, I felt peace and joy. The words that immediately came to my mind were "Welcome to New York, it's been waiting for you." In the following months since my decision, Taylor Swift's lyrics from her song on the 1989 album titled "Welcome to New York" have been on repeat in my mind bringing me strength and excitement in the new future that I have paved for myself. However, the negative comments and reactions have not stopped. I was born and raised in a small rural town in Northern California. Many residents of the area have lived here their whole lives. Comments that I have often heard are "I could never live in New York City" or "I don't like New York City". Many people note how different the city is and how it will be a big change from where I currently live. And yet, each time I hear these remarks, instead of feeling discouraged or confused, I just think of the lyrics "It's a new soundtrack, I could dance to this beat. The lights are so bright, but they never blind me". I know New York will be different than what I have known my whole life. But that excites me! As Taylor said, all it is is a new soundtrack for me to dance to. New York may not be right for everyone, but New York is right for me. On November 28, 2023, I received a personal email from Marymount Manhattan College officially accepting me to their school for the Fall of 2024 and welcoming me to New York. Once again, the words echoed through my mind, "It's been waiting for you". Taylor Swift captures the spirit of the city perfectly in her music. It is loud, chaotic and bright. Everyone is in the city for different reasons with different dreams and aspirations. 2023 was the year that I took the reigns to steer my own life in the direction that I wanted to go. In doing so I made hard, but ultimately rewarding choices that saved my life. My decision to move to New York City saved my life.

Service has guided me throughout my life. I have been continually blessed by serving others and others serving me in return. I have spent the past year and a half volunteering in an elementary special education classroom. This experience has guided my path and goals in life and shaped me as a person. The children in that classroom have taught me valuable life lessons that have become a part of my core values. One child in the class laughs with so much joy! When he finds something funny he laughs so hard and tells other people to laugh too. He has taught me to laugh and smile. Life is hard, frustrating, and so many other things. But life can also be beautiful! So when given the chance, you should always laugh. Another child in that classroom always says what is on his mind. I remember one day in class, he had a busy day of one-on-one services and school work. When he was told that it was time for another service, he said, "It's too much man!". I love that he said that! It is okay to feel like what you have been given is too much. You are not any less valuable or strong for feeling overwhelmed. We are human and it is okay to feel tired. We do not need to be perfect all of the time. Another child is constantly making books and reenacting stories that he has read. He is imaginative and creative with what he uses to tell his stories. I watched one day as he went around the classroom and set up every scene for "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" so that he could act it out. He has taught me to be creative, have fun, and think outside of the box. These are just a few of the numerous lessons that I have learned from my experience serving the children in the special education classroom. As I look towards the next year in my life, I am preparing to begin my college education and future career. I am confident that I want to spend the rest of my life learning from children with special needs. There are so many people who are unaware of the beauty that individuals with special needs bring to this world. I want to dedicate myself to helping others recognize the greatness that those individuals have. Without my experience volunteering in the special education classroom, I would have no clue how truly passionate I am for this line of work. Volunteering has changed me as a person.

No one deserves to be familiarly acquainted with cancer at the age of 14. And yet, that is my experience. In my middle school years, my mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and went through several surgeries and treatments to rid it from her body. Amidst my mom's cancer treatments, my grandma was diagnosed with breast cancer. That is a pain that I would wish on no one. Two of the most influential women in my life were both battling with cancer. I often questioned why cancer needed to attack me through my loved ones. It seemed unfair and pointless to have something so evil take power in my life without my consent. But my grandma and my mom are fighters. They fought cancer with grace and a strength that amazes me to this day. Eventually, my mom and my grandma both beat cancer! I wish I could say that was the end of my experience with cancer. Sadly, that is not the case. While I was a freshman in high school, my mom had a concussion and while completing brain scans, a mass was noticed in her neck. Upon further examination, it was discovered that my mom once again had to battle cancer. I distinctly remember the day I learned that cancer had walked back into my life. It was Saint Patrick's Day and after returning home from school, my sister and I were talking about how we should spend our evening. My mom then told us that she needed to talk to us. We all sat down on the couch and my mom explained that she had been diagnosed with Thyroid cancer. Many days and nights after that were spent in tears wondering why me. Hadn't I gone through enough? Didn't cancer take enough from me already? But my mom continued to do what she does best, she fought. The faith, strength, and grace that she carried with her as she went through her surgeries and treatments are so inspiring to me. It will still be a few years before my mom can be declared cancer-free, however, cancer no longer gets to control her life. After surgery to remove her thyroid and multiple rounds of radioactive iodine treatments, my mom now gets to live her life without the constant worry of cancer. And when the day comes when she is officially declared cancer-free, we will celebrate my mom and the amazing woman that she is! I am now a Senior in high school planning my future career and life goals. I know without a doubt that I want to spend my life serving children with Special needs. I have a seven-year-old niece named Adalyn who has autism and is non-verbal. Adalyn has changed my life in so many ways. She has taught me that love needs no words and that life is best spent when you don't let people's judgments affect you. For the past year and a half, I have had the opportunity to volunteer in the elementary special education classroom at my school. This experience has developed an even greater passion in me for serving children with special needs. The children in that classroom are incredible! They are brave, kind, authentic, smart, and creative. If given the time, I could sit down and list every child in that classroom, what I uniquely love about each child and the lessons that each of them has taught me. I will dedicate my life to loving individuals with special needs and helping others see the beauty that they bring to this world.