Olivia Rodrigo is an artist I have been familiar with for a very long time. I would watch her act on screen when I was a kid, and now I have been a fan of her music since she started releasing music. She has such range with her music between slower songs that are emotional ballads to pop rock anthems. I think she has such a way with words, and creates a world within her albums that listeners can live in and truly immerse themselves in. One verse that sticks out to me is in her song Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl that's found in her second album Guts. "I broke a glass, tripped and fell / Told secrets I shouldn't tell / Stumbled over all my words / Made it weird, then made it worse". Not only does the song have a catchy beat, but it also has relatable lyrics. It can be relatable to women for liking the wrong kind of guys, to people who were actually homeschooled and don't have a lot of friends, to those who overthink every interaction, to the anti-social people, and many more social groups in society. I am a CHRONIC over-thinker, which I think comes with being a perfectionist. I try to be as calculated as I can with my words, because I don't want to make things weird or have a conversation go south. I think over interactions in my everyday life because if I feel like something I said could either be taken the wrong way, or it wasn't 100% perfect, I get in my head. Usually I like being in my head because it isn't a bad place to be, but every now and then I feel like my own thoughts work against me. Especially with friends, even close friends I've known for a long time. I always worry that I'm gonna say the wrong thing to a specific person I care about and then lose them forever, and I'll suddenly be without friends in the blink of an eye. I definitely use music as an escape when my mind becomes the villain in my story, and Olivia Rodrigo is someone I listen to pretty regularly. It reminds me that I'm not the only one to have those overthinking thoughts, and that at the end of the day, it really isn't that deep. I'm learning this now where I'm trying to understand that people aren't thinking through what I said the way that I am, and that it truly was just a normal conversation. It reminds me that I'm not alone, and I'm not as bad of a conversationalist as my brain tries to convince me I am.

All three of these things are around us more often than people may think. And the unfortunate truth is younger queer kids are typically the targeted demographic when it comes to mental health and suicide. The statistics that back up my claim are overwhelming. Not only have I heard from my very close friends, who have had second thoughts on continuing their life on Earth, but I have also had those very same thoughts and feelings. I'm openly queer, non-binary, and overall happy in my day to day life. I have a good support system, a more open mind, and truly feel like I have a place in this world. But that was something that took my years to comprehend. Mental health is something I feel I have always struggled with. I had some pretty bad childhood memories and have been manipulated, gaslit, and abused emotionally and verbally. No child should ever go through that. And because of the people that surrounded me during those tough times, I became a less happy kid. The world seemed mean, and I didn't wanna live in it anymore. At 11 years of age, I would self-harm myself with whatever was around because I thought if I redirected the pain it would be over quicker, and I could get over what I was feeling faster. I though it would distract me from what I thought were sinful thoughts, when it was really just me trying to figure out who I am and who I love. It was hard to grasp my sexuality when there was nothing, and no one, for me to look at for representation. And no one knew. I hid how I felt from everyone out of pure fear for my safety at the time, and because I didn't want to be rejected from the people I love. Even now, I feel like I'm still hidden from some of my family. It took a while for me to finally stop, and I've been clean from self-harm for about eight years now. And I think I have a pretty good life. I have a goal for my education/career, a loving girlfriend, a supportive family, and I feel like I spread positivity into the world. I'm currently continuing my education in Communication Studies with the hopes of working in journalism, and having a somewhat online presence while doing so. I truly believe from my experiences, I can be a voice to other little kids like me to remind them that life passed the age of 13 is a possible and feasible feat. I want to spread awareness, advocate for what I believe in, and be the change in the world I wish I saw as a kid.

My grandpa was a very significant figure in not just my life, but everyone around him. He was a lifesaver, literally. For forty years he worked in healthcare as a firefighter, paramedic, fire chief, helicopter paramedic, and many more interesting jobs. I grew up/currently live in a small town in California called Merced. My grandpa was actually one of the first paramedics in this town, and still is a large reason why our health care runs the way it does. He helped build the main hospital in town, encourage younger health care workers to pursue their dreams, and taught college classes in both Firefighting and EMT training for ten years. When I was younger, I lived with him and my grandma when my mom was going to school, so I spent a lot of time around the both of them. He would often give me rides to school since it was on his way to work when he was still teaching. You could always learn so much from him. He was the smartest person I've ever known, and seemed as if he always had the answers to everything. We once had a three hour conversation over breakfast about the effects of AI in the film industry. He always encouraged me to keep learning, and would constantly tell me as a kid, "Go find a job you love, so you never have to work a day in your life". He also loved to travel. Him and my grandma traveled internationally often and went to places like New Zealand, Singapore, Norway, Fiji, and many more places. When my mom graduated with her nursing degree, we went on a week long cruise in the Caribbean during the week of Christmas. It was such a core memory for me, even if I was only ten years old when I went. Anywhere where they could walk to their destination and a spot to snorkel, they would be there. When I graduated high school, I got the awesome opportunity to travel with them on a 14-day cruise to Europe where we visited different parts of Greece, Turkey, and Italy. Unfortunately, my grandpa passed last October. He had an aneurysm in his home, which affected his body greatly as he already dealt with lung and heart problems, was in the ICU at Modesto Hospital for a little over two weeks. When I visited him, he seemed to be getting better, and had to be put on life support two days later because all his major organs were failing. My grandma was very co-dependent on him and seeing her loose someone she's loved for thirty years was heartbreaking, even now. It still hurts now, and I find it hard on some days to continue school and work and other activities knowing he won't be there to see me. Because of him, I work hard and I don't plan on stopping now. I'm trying to get educated in a field I'm interested to get a job I love, just like he always taught me. It's hard everyday to not see him or talk to him, as he was someone I would always turn to when I had questions about anything. But I know he always loved me and was always proud of me. And even though he isn't physically here, I always feel him looking out for me.

Mental health is something that impacts everyone on a day to day basis. When we think of “mental health”, typically people think of people who are not mentally well, like those who struggle with depression. But that isn’t the case. It’s not always something that is negative; one’s mentality can consist of positive affirmation to remain in a healthy mindset that benefits them. No matter the age, implementing a positive mental health mindset takes a lot of work that not everyone considers or gives time to. I didn't think about mental health myself until I was a junior in high school (I'm almost 20 as I write this). I just assumed everyone felt the way I did, and it was just harder for me having gone through a lot of grief and emotional uncertainty in my life. I didn't know what the future held for me because I didn't know if I would be capable of having one. After all the COVID restrictions lifted, I didn't know what was in store for me. I got involved, did theatre, community service, and made lifelong friends. But even after all of that, I still will occasionally feel a pit in my stomach. An immediate sadness that would hit me like a truck the second I get home. I only realized that it was depression about a year ago. Not officially diagnosed, but pretty self-aware as it runs in my family and is a symptom of the chronic illness I only recently discovered that I have (Endometriosis). It explains the intense emotions, the burnout, the lack of motivation I'll feel from time to time, and much more. It's still something I'm trying to overcome bit by bit. I often doom-scroll when I feel my lowest, so whenever I get bored, I find something else to do instead. Whether that be catching up on notes, cleaning, or writing an essay for a Bold.org scholarship. Just something that gets me off my phone, even for a few minutes, so I don't feel like I'm spiraling into a depressed rabbit hole I can't get out of. On my college campus now (Merced College), I'm working as a student assistant at the Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Program. As a student assistant I help design Instagram posts raising awareness for mental health in relationships, make workshops that outreach to students around campus, and much more! Working at the RSVP has taught me a lot, but one of the main things is to never be afraid to speak up. No matter how hurt you are or if you feel like no one can help you, there will always be a window open in a world of closed doors. I also realized my job makes me an advocate for healthy relationships as well, which is an opportunity I am privileged to have. And it makes me all the more aware of my mental health, and what I can do to implement a healthier mindset in my everyday life. I only hope that the work I put into this program, and my future, pays off and even helps some people along the way.

Understanding mental health was something I did not prioritize until I was in my junior year of high school. To put that in perspective, I turn 20 next month of me writing this. I assumed what I was feeling was the norm and once I found out it wasn't, it really shocked me. It was hard for me to open up about how I felt, and it took a long time to do so, because I didn't want to make things difficult for others to understand. I admit even now as I am more open, it's still hard for me to talk about certain things. I was lucky to be surrounded by people who openly talked about their struggles with mental health, which allowed me to open up more and truly understand what I was feeling. Talking openly about having panic attacks, depression, chronic illnesses. Hearing other people experience similar things assured me that I wasn't alone, and I wasn't weak for feeling the way I do. It felt good to find that community under times of stress, while starting to slowly figure out who I was as a person. I'm someone who struggles with depression and anxiety, both symptoms of Endometriosis, which is a chronic illness that impacts my everyday life. But it also allowed me to reach out and talk to others with a chronic illness; those I would talk to are some of my closest friends today! By hearing about other people's experiences, I felt more empathetic in general about everything. How strong and resilient these people are, and how I also want to be as well. It urged me to be more ambitious about how I approach my goals, whether it be educational goals or a five year plan. I want to prove to myself that I have the same strength, and that I can use it to get me where I yearn to go. It also makes me more empathetic for everyone because you never know what a stranger is really going through. We currently live in a world where empathy is a rare sight, but not extinct. And I think the world could use a little bit extra of it right now.

Dance is a very gendered sport. Men are expected to be strong and sharp with their movements, with lots of upper body strength that gives them the ability to lift someone and support their weight for a specific period of time. Women are expected to be very elegant-looking and flexible, with the core strength to balance for long periods of time. Upon being in dance as a young girl, these gendered expectations are pushed on you very young. I experience these stereotypes as I took dance classes very young. As young dancing girls, you are held to an expectation to look perfect. You hair must be long, your makeup must look the same, and you all must do the dance perfectly. Anything less than perfect, both in action and appearance, was not acceptable. I came out as queer and non-binary when I was a sophomore in high school, and it's a label I use that feels so right. Neither a boy or a girl. I stopped taking dance classes around that same time for a number of reasons, but one of the big ones was my gender identity. Because dance is such a gendered sport, I didn't feel comfortable being constantly misgendered and forced into feminine mannerisms. This was a very hard thing for me to realize as there's not many books or stories about being non-binary. And as someone who is a little more femme presenting, I didn't feel very represented. Writing has always been an escape for me. Journaling has always helped me, whether I'm ranting about how hard life is or if I'm just writing stories for fun. I can write stories and cast myself as a handsome knight saving a beautiful princess, or as this all-knowing ethereal being. I can also write about what I'm feeling in the moment, if I feel good in my body or if I'm having a bad gender dysphoria day. As I write, I often think about a younger me and how happy they would be reading the words I write now. That's why I have such a passion for writing. I want to be able to write about experiences and be the representation future queer kids need, because that would be something I would've wanted. Seeing yourself in something matters. After fitting in the gendered boxes of dance, it feels freeing to identify exactly who I am and still love the art of dance. Writing has helped in that in so many ways, and I know sharing my writing will help people everywhere. That's why I think I'm the perfect person for this scholarship. We need more queer people in spaces everywhere to remind everyone that it is more normal than it may be perceived. Especially queer young girls/women in dance, where it can be seen as weird to be a queer woman surrounded by women and dancing with them. I've had weird interactions where people have thought I "had a crush on them" because I must "have a crush on every girl". I didn't have anything to turn to during those weird and challenging times, because there wasn't anything. I wanna create something through words and storytelling so no young girl has to ever feel that awkwardness. I didn't have any older role models in dance, or in life in general. And if my writing and storytelling helps my younger queer self, imagine how many younger queer kids it would also help.

I have always loved learning as a kid. I loved going to school, and particularly found a love for reading and writing. I love finding stories and talking about them to other people, or even writing my own stories. I excelled in English and Literature courses, expanding my vocabulary to write and talk about stories even more. To be quite fair, it was (and still is) hard to shut me up. I always have something to say about something. It sparked an interest in Journalism, and that's something I now want to pursue as a career. Getting paid to tell stories and inform the public about real issues to raise awareness? Sign me up! I believe good journalism is the facts and the sharing of everyone's opinions, allowing audiences to create their own opinions and improve critical thinking skills within society. And I wanna be that person that informs everyone about the god the bad and the ugly, because someone has to. In school, I surrounded myself with like-minded individuals who were also passionate about different things. I had teachers, specifically my AP English teachers, who believed in me and pushed me to be better. But even in school, not everyone wanted to hear what I had to say, and that was a challenge I had to learn the hard way. Especially growing up as a young girl with opinions about everything, not every agreed with me nor did they want to hear what I had to say. I was told I "talked too much" and got "too emotional" over certain things, and how I would often "suck the air out of rooms". I'm almost 20 and hear all these comments even now. I had to learn to be quiet, so I did. I stopped telling stories and focused on doing things myself, since no one seemed to care about anything I had to say. When I think I talk too much I would purposefully pull back and push myself out of spaces, scared that I would scare people away by being passionate about something. That's something that I'm trying to unlearn right now; that it is okay to be myself and be passionate about the things I care about, and if people don't like it they can leave themselves. My love for journalism leads me into learning about a variety of things. For example, my mom got diagnosed with endometriosis in September 2025. I was taking a public speaking class at the time and did all my speeches based on endometriosis to learn more about it. Who found it out, what can happen, how it can be genetic, and why there's no cure. The lack of information I found was appalling to me, because there was little awareness over what it actually is. It got me thinking that overall, there's a lack of awareness around chronic illnesses/conditions that primarily target women. Why aren't people telling these stories? Because of the lack of awareness, it makes my stubborn self strive to be the one that informs people. I'm grateful to have the knowledge of this condition from my mother, and also the high possibility that I have it myself. But it's a more common condition than people think, and I want to be that person that helps inform the general public about the severity of endometriosis and why we need to fund more research and find the real root of the problem. My grandpa was someone who I loved learning new things with. He was a big inspiration to me. He was someone who also loved to learn, and is the smartest man I know. He'd constantly telling me to find a job I love doing so it wouldn't feel like work. He would talk to be about current issues, like the rise in AI usage or the changes in the school system, and get my thoughts on it. He always let me talk, and I always loved telling his stories. He passed away very suddenly in October 2025, and it flipped my whole world upside down. To be honest, because I was so busy with school at the time (and still am), I haven't properly given myself time to actually grieve his loss. My love for stories came from him, and I hope to continue to tell stories as a career in his honor. I know I would have fun doing it, and I know he would be proud of me for doing so. Since his passing, some switch flipped in my brain. I've made myself more busy, and more of a drive to be productive, and not only pass but excel in the classes I'm currently in. I wanna keep learning to make him feel proud of me, and so other people don't have to worry about me doing something I love. Being busy has its sacrifices, where I don't see friends as often and I even get tired faster, but I know it's for a good reason. My education has gotten me this far, and I'm determined to have it get me farther in life. I want a good journalism job, I want to learn new things/skills, and I want to spread awareness about situations that the general public should know and take into consideration. This motivation is something I will not take for granted, because it's the same motivation that allowed me to write this essay for consideration for this scholarship. I believe I can make a difference in my future, and maybe help people make a difference in their future too. Journalism is such a vital thing in today's society, especially with the growing evolution of social media, and I yearn to be that person that makes a difference in someone's life by being an informed citizen and raising awareness about everything I can. And I know this passion will get me far, and I hope other people can see it too.

News is something that is everywhere, even more than any of us may think. It's on our phones, our computers, our TVs, those billboards you see on the highway. It's our way to share information across large platforms, whether it's the news paper or in broadcasting. We learn the good, the bad, and the ugly from the news. Who gives us this information? Who goes all in on a story? Journalists do! They have the job of going out into the world, speaking to well-know (or even not well-known) people about their experiences and stories to a wide-spread audience to help spread the awareness of different causes/issues. I don't know about you, but I find that pretty darn fascinating. My interest in journalism began in high school. My theatre teacher was looking for students for GVTV, the Golden Valley High School student news where students help report what's happening on campus. I was the only freshman to sign up, and I stayed with it all four years. We would take the daily announcements weeks in advance and make videos to share in classes announcing everything happening like prom, sports, theatre shows, senior deadlines, the weather, community events, and more. It was basically our own little broadcast station; we would film at an anchor desk in a closet-sized room, use a green screen, interview students and staff, and the students did it all! We wrote the scripts, filmed on expensive cameras, edited, created themes for certain episodes (like Halloween or Christmas), and just gave my teacher the final product when it was ready to be posted. By the time I was a junior in high school, GVTV was an actual class. I became the station manager my last two years of high school since I had the most experience and it became my job to lead the students, create filming schedules, and set deadlines in order to get things done. I ran a pretty tight ship; if it wasn't finished or done, it wasn't in the episode. And it wasn't an easy job. I wasn't taken seriously at first because I was younger. But I stayed on task and committed to doing my job not only because it's my grade, but because I found so much joy in doing it. Though it's been a while since I've been on screen telling the news, it still fascinates me. In college, I grew an interest in political science and often observe what that can look like in today's media. To find stories, spread information, and tell them to the world on a multitude of technological platforms. One con to it is biases, where some station appeal to a certain audience and feed only into those ideas. While it can be a validating community to create, it's also something that dis-encourages outside thoughts and potential theories, especially in politics. This can create brainwashing and even censorship within the media, which is damaging to one's cognitive thinking skills. I want a career in journalism to share the facts, and also the varying opinions of others that allows the audience to form their own opinions. Good journalism creates an informed society with critical thinking skills, where one can look at the facts and decide if this is something they stand for or not. I want to be that person that provides that information to others, because someone has to give the facts. But I also wanna highlight the positive stories; the little victories people have in society. Not all news is negative, and sometimes as a journalist, you have to find stories that make you smile.

Sports is a kind of entertainment; we turn on our TVs and watch these funded teams play a sport they grew up playing. They fight for titles, accomplishments, and sponsors. They make a living playing with teams and/or representing a country, where all eyes are on them when the time comes. With a platform like this, if an athlete wants to be open about what they believe and the kind of way they’d like to brand themselves online. If anything, based on the way they use their spotlight, they become their own brand. That’s where Sports Journalism comes in; we ask the questions and get the answers because someone has to. But these can’t be just any questions, but engaging ones that allow the athletes to feel as if their answers really mean something. Who are they winning for? How would their win make a difference? This is especially prevalent in Women’s Sports. With our current media, Women's sports are often under fire for various reasons. The debate of trans women playing in sports, the removing of gold medals (like Jordan Chiles for example), how they behave on the field, and how all of that is different from male athletes. Women have to work twice as hard to make an impact even remotely equivalent to men. Take Ilona Maar for example, an Olympic Athlete who has built her image on femininity in Sports and maintaining a healthy body no matter the size you are. Within just two years, she’s made such a massive impact on the sport that is Rugby. I for sure didn't know much about the sport until hearing about her, and neither would anyone else if not for the Sports Journalists that have interviewed her on the field, allowing herself to build the online platform she has today. She has undergone many of stereotypes, hate, and disgusting comments about her body and continuously has to defend herself. Especially for younger women athletes, it's important to see this kind of strength and resilience on their screens. I grew up around sports myself. My nana and papa are hockey fans and I have fond memories of going to games with them and watching the San Jose Sharks play. I also played soccer and competitively danced all of my childhood, so I understand the mindset that these athletes go through. The pressure of being the best they can be, both with a team and as individuals, while undergoing outside AND internal scrutiny. Because of my experience/history with sports, I have a strong sense of empathy for these athletes in the spotlight and I think because of that empathy, I can create a safe space for these athletes to showcase different sides of them. The anxiety, the emotion, the physical/mental stress, and everything else that makes them human. We need to see athletes be human every once in a while; it helps both themselves and the audience. It's healthy to see such intense emotions and understand why it's there. As audience members, and humans, we can sympathize and come together and create communities with one another over a specific team/athlete. Which is something we need in this day and age. And it makes athletes fight for what they love just that much harder, and those are stories worth sharing. And I believe I can help share those stories and raise awareness to real issues and spread sportsman-like positivity. It's important, and it needed more than we think.