I remember the day that they told me about him. My dad was going to drive to San Antonio, Texas, and spend three months there to train with this dog. I was around six years old, and it was probably the most exciting thing that a six-year-old could be told. My family was going to get a dog, and he would be ours. After those three months, my dad arrived home. In the back of his police car was a built-in kennel with dark tinted windows. The door opened, and I was greeted with a 90-pound Belgian Malinois. Although he was a trained police dog, he was the sweetest dog ever. His name was Indy, and I was told it meant independent, which was perfect because I was very independent at that age. Immediately, my love for him was infinite, and I wanted to spend every minute with him. Indy was gentle and very timid. He was a shy dog, but I loved him for that. Whenever my dad would arrive home from work, Indy would see me and get so excited that he ran in circles. I slept with him every night, and he helped me part with my fear of the dark, especially in 2016 when killer clowns were on the loose. He was my sidekick just as much as he was my dad's, and although he was a working dog, we treated him like any other dog. Indy was my best friend, and he showed me unconditional love, regardless of the mistakes that I made. Like many people say, “Dogs are a man's best friend”. Regardless of how many times this has been said, I believe it will always be true. Indy passed away in December of 2020, and sadly I was unable to say goodbye to him. He will always hold a special place in my heart for showing me how to push through when times get tough. Whether he was at work or home with my dad and me, he was always able to make people smile. He showed me what true friendship looked like, and I can happily say that having him in my life made me a better person. Although taking care of a dog may be a lot of work, the times that I was bathing Indy or feeding him are the times that I remember the most. Indy had a large influence on my development into a young adult, showing me how to have patience with even the tiniest tasks. He is the reason that I will love dogs for the rest of my life because he was truly my best friend.

I was raised with parents who made sure that wellness was always prioritized in their lives and their children's lives. Being raised knowing that my well-being was important allowed me to learn how to always make sure I was always taking care of myself. To me, wellness is prioritizing yourself before others and ensuring that you are taken care of on the inside and the outside. Ensuring that I am healthy allows me to thrive in other aspects of my life such as academics, athletics, and personal relationships. In order to maintain my physical wellness, I like to ensure the activities I do can be done anywhere since I am usually at school or at my sports practice. This includes drinking 64 ounces of water each day, working out (weight lifting, running, walking) at least once each day, and maintaining a good posture when sitting and standing. These activities allow me to focus on my physical health wherever I am. For me, if I feel good about my physical health then it is something that automatically boosts the way I feel. Ways that I like to maintain my mental wellness as a student are properly de-stress after a long day or long week. I do this by journaling for a minimum of at least 20 minutes a night. In these entries, I will write about anything from my day to things I want to happen in the future. A second thing that I know is necessary for maintaining my mental wellness is to surround myself with people like me. Being surrounded by people who are positive and want the best for you is something small that benefits you in the long run. Since I’m a Senior in high school, it has been hard to purchase organic and natural products due to the price. I would say this is because I do not have a job and with the money I do have, I can’t find wellness products at the stores around me. It is fairly hard to obtain natural and organic products, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic and products have become increasingly difficult to find. This ties into how it may be difficult to keep making healthy decisions. But, I can still make healthy decisions with the food I eat and the activities that I do throughout my day-to-day life.

Moving from Texas to California was one of the most challenging things that I have had to endure. This move came after my mom’s ex-husband left unexpectedly, leaving my mom and me with no support. I moved to California one week before I started high school which caused me to leave behind everything that I was familiar with. I started my first year with a lot of anxiety and confusion about how I was going to navigate my way through high school. Additionally, moving schools resulted in me leaving behind my passion for volleyball. When I arrived in California, I could not find a club team and it was too late to try out for the school team. I decided to go out for another sport and joined the Track and Field team since it was a sport I knew I wanted to do. Very quickly, I found that this was a way for me to release my anxiety and feelings of uncertainty. This allowed me to focus more on my academics and stabilize my relationships with the people around me. Finding this new passion for sprinting and hurdling gave me the ability to rebuild my relationship with my mom again after feeling so angry at her for making me move. Running brought my mom and me closer together and is something she and I will continue to bond over. Though moving caused me to let go of one of my passions, I was able to find another one. One that was a stress reliever and anxiety reducer. It also established that I was capable of thriving under pressure and doing things I didn’t know I could do. Something that I viewed as a setback in my life was actually a blessing in disguise. Though moving was challenging, I was able to find a healthy way to cope and a new way to regain focus when times are tough. When I look back at this, I realize that it was a necessary challenge, because I wouldn’t be the person I am today without it.

My favorite genre of books is fiction. Fiction books are like no other. They allow me to enter a new world and envision different scenarios that may not happen in real life. No book is the same and I feel as if there is a lesson that people can relate to in all novels, which is why I love reading them. Louisa May Alcott’s novel, Little Women, is a book that I relate to on a high level. Little Women is a novel that shows the highs and lows of a family unit while dealing with sibling rivalries, romance, and how to deal with life when it is not always perfect. The story deals with the four March sisters and their mother as they live at home while their father is away fighting in the Civil War. The four sisters are seen as they grow up from young adolescents to young women (or should I say, “Little Women”). The March sisters are also based on the Alcott sisters, which I find incredibly fascinating. These women are persistent despite their personal obstacles and bold in their personal lives which allows them to succeed. Little Women is a novel that allowed me to learn how to value myself more and allow myself to be as bold and persistent as the March sisters. I was able to build a personal connection with Jo March especially as she is laser-focused on her career despite being looked down upon by her peers. Not only does this book open people's eyes to who they can be one day, but it is a wonderful book for young women to read as it shows that they can be bold and brave.

I have struggled with body image issues throughout adolescence. I, like many others, have become entangled in social media and the unrealistic standards that come with it. It is hard to disconnect reality from social media. Regardless of this, I have found a way to overcome these unhealthy standards that are put on young girls, and I have learned to love myself throughout the years. I am proud of the way that my self-talk has become more positive throughout the past two years. It has allowed me to thrive in different circumstances as I gain more confidence in myself and my abilities. It's one thing that has made me fall in love with who I am. Changing my mindset has increased my quality of life drastically. It has allowed me to succeed in and outside of the classroom. It has also strengthened my relationships with my friends and family. Positive self-talk is something that I know I can always count on, even when I am feeling down and undeserving of love.

I believe that self-care should be of the topics people learn about from a young age. I did not realize how notable self-care is until I was a freshman in high school. I began to prioritize self-care when my struggle with anxiety and depression started. Self-care, to me, is the prioritization and uplifting of oneself. Self-care could be taking a warm bubble bath once a week or putting my phone away before bed and reading for one hour. I like to do things that will put my mind at ease and stop me from stressing over things I cannot control. Reading, crocheting, baking, going on a 20-minute walk, and journaling are all activities that allow me to forget about the things in my life that cause me to stress and overthink. I believe that the more often you perform these activities, the more at ease one will feel in their day-to-day life. Each day I try to perform at least one or two acts of self-care, whether it's reading or drinking a cup of tea before I go to sleep. I now know how important it is to prioritize these acts. I have realized the impact it has had on my everyday life. I have become more positive, and my mindset has noticeably changed. These small acts have affected me tremendously inside the classroom and in my personal life. Self-care can drastically improve the quality of one's life in more than one way. When life gets stressful and complicated, sometimes giving yourself a break is the best way to cope.