My experiences with mental health had a large impact on my life entirely. It all started in middle sool when I was initially diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety. With this, depression was mostly a struggle to bear. It didn't just affect me, but my close family and friends who interact with me. Without the illnesses diagnosed to me, I could be free. At the start of high school, my conditions worsened from many interactions from my peers. A majority of people the same age as me and older suspected that I was a bit annoying depsite ever talking too much. Instead of fighting or standing up for myself, I gradually stopped speaking. I then figured out that I had selective mutism due to my worry of being too much for others around me. It was then thoughts of pain clouded my mind all day, everyday. Very dark, unsettling feelings of wanting to leave my family and my friends were one of the most deepest phase of my life. I felt that I couldn't do anything to fix that, and I was wrong. Things started to get better right after telling close people in my life about it, and got a therapist who was trustworthy with my story. And sure, I didn't have that many friends to make me constantly happy. But it doesn't always have to be that way, despite there being many people. What I am to express is just because you feel alone, does not mean you are alone. Painful events affect us to believe this mindset for years if not months to come. Once I was introduced to my therapist, I was happy inside to meet them. As years go by of course, I left my healthcare plan. As all seemed well, the start of coronavirus struck the year of 2020. Many of us were cooped up inside their homes, stuck in their office chairs in zoom conference calls. At first, I thought these days wouldnt get any worse, but unfortunately it had been worse. My parents and I had constant arguments, I was terrible with my school grades, and I was unemployed. "What is the point in life" I asked constantly. My dark thoughts came back as well as my anexiety. All that was missed was a trustworthy person to talk to, but I had no therapist at that time. Later on towards late December, it was like a light at the end of a tunnel. There wasn't frequent fights, or bad moments. It slowly halted and life started all over again, a fresh new start. No masks. No more pressing thoughts about an illness that could kill millions in seconds. No more news. My lesson is to open my mind to all things. Be truthful about how I feel to my closest family and friends. I recently came out as a non-binary individual, which was amazing. There are ups and downs all day, everyday. Instead of harsh words, we should think before talking about something or someone. There are so many resources many of us with mental illness could have. Knowing yourself can help people self advocate for themselves.

I plan on being a servant leader in my community by both working on computer science and committing to preserving the environment. I understand for many occasions, the community advanced into using renewable resources to avoid further pollution of any kind, and I am very proud to participate. Giving back to the community shows that you are humble, rather than looking for power and a return for a favor. By being humble, you are simply enjoying life just the way it is. I feel a community service is a useful tool, it is the act of giving something to a certain community and a certain amount of tasks. Before this was a requirement, many students wanted to obtain a job for their own good rather than looking at both sides of giving: the person working, and the people who will purchase or use the product, both business and personal-wise. Without this goal, many of us would only be happy with money and the possible dream of wealth. To whom much is given, much is expected. If we use our time and knowledge, we can help hundreds and thousands of people with our wisdom. Usually, when I speak to my close friends about something troubling, such as college debt, I will always respond with "Use your wisdom to guide you rather than your heart", as the heart may lean towards dream schools. Let your wisdom decide what is right for you, as money isn't permanent, but your dreams are. I give back to the community mostly from conversation rather than simply picking up trash. Another example can be equine therapy. For those who do not understand, equine therapy is the use of horseback riding as a therapeutic schedule to relieve stress and other ailments. This promotes everyone to use self-care, in recent years it is difficult to do so, especially when the pandemic tore almost everyone down its path. It is crucial to let our bodies know that we should humble ourselves, pause, and then give back to the community continuously. Put the ones you love over yourself, and then you may treat your needs at sunrise. All in all, if you feel you do not need to help others, you need to look at yourself for a moment. There is an effect once you help someone in a certain need. If you brighten their mood, your mood will be brightened. I can go miles about how anyone will be impacted by this ritual of serving organizations of people who are different, or possibly the same, to serve others who may be struggling. For all high schools in the state of Florida, it is required to have at least 50 hours of community service. In some college scholarships, you must serve more than 50 hours, ranging from 75 to 200 hours. This result made me smile, as, without that mandatory need, no one will know how much time I work outside of school. I do not have extracurriculars, however, I serve my town by providing hot food and volunteering at a horse stable that serves equine therapy to disabled children. My whole high school time was spent helping others around me to get to where I am now. Buddha made a quote similar to my notion, "What you think, you become; What you feel, you attract; What you imagine, you create."

My interest in computer science started when my mother told me that my biological father built computers. I was around 9 years old and I was hooked on video games. In middle school, I began my journey of understanding coding languages such as HTML and C++ for a few months. It was a starting point to understanding what I want to pursue for the rest of my life. My overall dream goal is to travel the world while still being able to maintain a job in Computer Science, such as a Software Developer or related. Handling jobs outside of your country will amaze many, plus you can have experience meeting others similar to my study. I feel creativity is needed more than anything else in this world because it comes from the heart and the mind equally. Using all parts of your body to ignite a spark in your career is the best you can do, and everyone will be able to do their part. I feel like I would be the best candidate for this scholarship as I am committed to understanding Computer Science ever since I was a young child. The goal of becoming a software developer or otherwise in the computer science community has the potential of helping others. For instance, some of us dislike math, and I wish to tell everyone the reason they may hate it is due to not understanding. The same may apply to the creation of applications and computers. If every person who is enrolled in STEM jobs could volunteer to talk to children who are inspired, it could change their view on certain subjects such as math and science alike. If the memory of my father creating computers didn't inspire me, I would not be able to tell everyone this story. The hope of everything would be missed as some dainty moment. So far, nothing has affected me to look away from Computer Engineering and one-day making software.

Being a non-binary lesbian, it has been hard for me to come out of my own shell before coming out. During my childhood, I always felt that I wasn't so attracted to boys, so many people began to tease me over the fact that I even looked masculine due to my body hair and voice. The only support I had at the time was from my closest friends of mine. I grew up learning more about myself, and trying to understand that I didn't need to come up immediately, but rather come out whenever I am ready to show that to my family and friends. Currently, in high school, I still struggle with finding happiness in myself, especially when people did not appreciate me from my sexuality and gender identity. Coming out to my mutual friends and my family was like "letting people" into my life as such, because before no one knows who you are inside. On the outside, they may assume you are a girl or a boy, just like how I was teased for a few years now. At first, it was uncomfortable to start talking because I have never done anything like confronting the people I love and saying the following words: "I have been feeling like this for a while, and now I feel I am..." and fill in the blanks. If you can have a support system for events like this, your friends and family are the most valuable you can have if they also respect LGBT rights. I understand many parents who do not stand for such rights, I am fortunate of having parents who have no anger towards anyone with sexuality or gender that is outside of social norms. They actually accept me, and I feel happy. This happiness is more than just being excited, but instead, it is pure love for your own body. After my initial experience of coming out to my loved ones, many others have confessed to me too, that they prefer pronouns that aren't their birth gender or otherwise. For instance, my partner came out to me as a trans-female with feminine pronouns a few weeks after I came out months prior. My reaction was pure happiness. Because of those two experiences, I can say that without that moment, I doubt my partner would be able to come out, along as many other people I dearly care about.