As I listed every single road traveled upon during a bike trip en route to Pennsylvania, my aunt chuckled. It was unclear whether her disbelief derived from her nine-year-old nephew's ability to bike such a far distance or his extensive familiarity with the route. In reality, the heart of this endeavor evolved from my love for maps and urge to explore as many new places as I can. I possessed this urge to explore for as long as I can remember. At four years old, my parents had just told me what type of engineers design roads and highways: Civil engineers. The information stuck and I have not doubted the direction of my career path for thirteen years. By the age of six, piles of notebooks could be found seemingly everywhere around my house. Notebooks that had once been solely dedicated to school work were now used for a new purpose: Drawings of maps. These maps did not depict the real world, but rather a fantasy I created (many of which tie into a unified “world”). Although I have gradually lost interest in this specific hobby over time, it is still enjoyable to look back on my collection. In a different sense, my love for maps was seen beyond those notebooks. I cut out street signs I drew on paper and taped them on the corners of the walls of my house, creating roads out of hallways. I did not care what my family thought of this seemingly odd activity; I was doing what brought me joy. I used this joy and turned it into a quirk of my own. A smug satisfaction envelops me every time someone new discovers my strange skill. The last thing one expects to find in a child’s notebook is drawings of maps. One would certainly question the paper street signs around the house, as well. It is times like these that make me feel accomplished for pursuing my strange interest, instead of backing down and being ashamed. Applying my knowledge has led me to learn about maps in real life as well. I have applied this knowledge to real-world situations on many occasions, and it continually fuels me to learn more about maps. My knowledge of maps helps me feel connected to the rest of the world. Even as a child, I knew that drawing maps and cutting out street signs would play a major role in my life. I have always worked to advance my expertise. My hobbies were always performed with the end goal of working to expand the interconnectedness of society.

My passion for music has extended further back than I can recall. As a baby, my father frequently exposed me to classical music in hopes it would benefit me later in life. Studies have shown that newborns have increased odds of developing a musical talent when exposed to the varieties and complexities of music. Early exposure to classical music proved to be beneficial as I could accurately replicate melodies on my keyboard before I could speak. Not far into my childhood, I put this ability, known as perfect pitch, to use. By age six, I was teaching myself to play nursery rhymes (such as “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”) by ear on the piano. Just one year later, I began taking piano lessons and learned how to read sheet music. Since perfect pitch seemed to suffice, formal training originally sounded futile. However, my parents insisted it would sharpen my skills. I am undoubtedly appreciative of their insistence today, as it opened a doorway into my musical journey and I have now been playing piano for nearly 12 years. After nine years of playing, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and expand my horizons from the classical genre to a broader spectrum of music. In my sophomore year of high school, I decided to join my school's jazz ensemble and stage band. This introduced me to an entirely new realm of music. I also began to explore music theory to gain a better understanding of the function and structure of music. This insight was in addition to the physical skills I had developed on my instrument. Although this exploration initially started as an interest I desired to pursue, this studying inadvertently increased my understanding of jazz music as well. In my junior year of high school, I began to look for more applications of music, and began to experiment with electronic music production. Soon after, I began to collaborate with my classmates with this interest. As our passion increased, we realized we needed to better our equipment to increase the quality of our music as well as to increase the efficiency of the music-making process. Last Christmas, my mother bought me a microphone, sound panels, and other professional equipment to enhance my music-making process. This has provided excellent assistance in producing professional work. With an increased quality in our music, we began to feel comfortable releasing our music commercially. Now that we have the opportunity to earn money, we hope to earn enough money by the time we graduate from college to pay off a significant portion of all of our college debt. We do not have a specific goal in mind, but we do want to feel like the effort we have put in was worth it and rewarding. Making music for the past few years with my friends has brought a plethora of joy and entertainment, and I could only imagine how much more satisfaction a large chunk of money would bring.

As I listed every single road traveled upon during a bike trip en route to Pennsylvania, my aunt chuckled. It was unclear whether her disbelief derived from her nine-year-old nephew's ability to bike such a far distance or his extensive familiarity with the route. In reality, the heart of this endeavor evolved from my love for maps and urge to explore as many new places as I can. I possessed this urge to explore for as long as I can remember. At four years old, my parents had just told me what type of engineers design roads and highways: Civil engineers. The information stuck and I have not doubted the direction of my career path for thirteen years. By the age of six, piles of notebooks could be found seemingly everywhere around my house. Notebooks that had once been solely dedicated to school work were now used for a new purpose: Drawings of maps. These maps did not depict the real world, but rather a fantasy I created (many of which tie into a unified “world”). Although I have gradually lost interest in this specific hobby over time, it is still enjoyable to look back on my collection. In a different sense, my love for maps was seen beyond those notebooks. I cut out street signs I drew on paper and taped them on the corners of the walls of my house, creating roads out of hallways. I did not care what my family thought of this seemingly odd activity; I was doing what brought me joy. At nine years old, I jumped on the opportunity to do what I considered a “real” bike trip: Bike roughly 12 miles from my house to Pennsylvania. It was certainly a physically demanding task, but every new road I traveled upon opened up a new world to me. That summer I completed many more bike trips to towns nearby. I dedicated a notebook to keep track of everything map related I could think of: Every highway I biked on, every municipality I passed through, every median I biked in between. A smug satisfaction envelops me every time someone new discovers my strange skill. The last person a driver expects to give accurate directions is the quiet teenager in the back of the car. “How does he know where we are?” “Is he from around here?” I leave it up to them to decide those answers. It is times like these that make me feel accomplished for pursuing my strange interest, instead of backing down and being ashamed. Applying my knowledge toward real world situations continually fuels me to learn more about maps. When I finally got my driver's license at the beginning of 2021, I experienced a new sense of freedom. This satisfaction was furthered by bypassing the need for any mapping application to guide me, and knowing shortcuts the apps would not provide. My interest in maps has opened up an entirely new avenue in the artistic world. Highway design could be considered an entire art form in itself. Those aforementioned drawings of maps within piles of notebooks were the equivalent of an average kid's drawing of a dog or cat. I was proud of my creations, even though most may laugh at my drawings and question their relevance. Drawing an animal is certainly not a strength of mine, but that has not presented a barrier in allowing my creativity to flow out of my pencil. In the real world, a career in highway design would be the perfect match between art and engineering. My job would lagrely consist of 3-D modeling and checking construction sites for information that would allow me to map and design new roads, intersections, and more. As a kid, I always aspired to implement these ideals into the real world, and I can finally see my art come to life with a carrer in highway design with this STEM career. My knowledge of maps helps me feel connected to the rest of the world. Even as a child, I knew that maps and civil engineering would play a major role in my life. Whether through notebooks, paper street signs, or biking, I have always worked to advance my expertise. Studying civil engineering will provide me the opportunity to improve the infrastructure of this world. It would also simultaneously advance my goal of creatively implementing art into our network of highways and expanding the interconnectedness of society.

My family eagerly awaited to see if I could complete the task at hand as I walked into the living room. I was positive I could succeed with ease, so how could this achievement be considered such an impressive feat? After playing just one note on the piano, my family erupted with joy and expressed their awe and admiration. I often performed this task throughout my early childhood at the request of my family. My father, having noticed my musical inclination, would have me scramble off into the kitchen where I would squeeze my eyes closed and grin in anticipation of exciting my family. He would play a note chosen at random from the piano in the living room out of my sight. I would walk back and correctly play the same note without hesitation. The magnificence of this skill lies behind an ability that psychologists estimate only 1 in 10,000 people possess: Perfect pitch. Those with this ability can recreate any pitch heard without the use of a reference tone utilizing their voice or an instrument. It is a rare phenomenon that I am grateful to possess, as it sparked my initial interest in music. Perfect pitch has been with me for longer than I can recall. As a baby, my father frequently exposed me to classical music in hopes it would benefit me later in life. Studies have shown that newborns have increased odds of developing a musical talent when exposed to the varieties and complexities of music. Early exposure to classical music proved to be beneficial as I could accurately replicate melodies on my keyboard before I could speak. Not far into my childhood, I put this ability to use. By age six, I was teaching myself to play nursery rhymes (such as “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”) by ear on the piano. Just one year later, I began taking piano lessons and learned how to read sheet music. Since perfect pitch seemed to suffice, formal training originally sounded futile. However, my parents insisted it would sharpen my skills. I am undoubtedly appreciative of their insistence today, as it opened a doorway into my musical journey and I have now been playing piano for nearly 12 years. Perfect pitch will undoubtedly enhance my college experience. Next year, I am going to meet and interact with many talented musicians, whether it be through ensembles that the college offers or through social life on campus. Collaboration is one of my greatest passions, especially when it is related to music. Last summer, I composed a jazz quartet that my peers and I are in the process of rehearsing for a school concert in May. Perfect pitch has been an incredibly useful tool during rehearsals. For example, since saxophone music transposes notes, being able to identify the "real" notes I want to use is essential. This ability is already bringing a positive effect to musical environments, and I am confident this can be furthered later in life. Perfect pitch was my gateway into a musical life and has undeniably had a profound impact on me. It has guided me or assisted in the process of every significant musical endeavor I have pursued. Not only will this ability continue to provide guidance and assistance for me, but it can also be used to enhance others' experiences in a musical setting.

After studying classical music extensively from the ages of seven to fourteen, I could not imagine myself interacting with jazz in my musical career. Jazz seemed peculiar, and studying jazz piano seemed futile as I was aware that classical training was most valuable for performance and technical skills. So why bother? As I entered high school, my friends, aware of my piano skills, encouraged me to join the school's jazz bands. Figuring it would boost my GPA and realizing a lot of my friends were involved with the music department, I decided to join my freshman year. It was evident that my initial intentions did not suggest I was going to become interested in jazz. Recently, however, I have became increasingly enamored with not only jazz, but music theory, and how multiple instruments can come together to make something truly spectacular. I composed a jazz piece over the summer of 2020 when my inspiration was at an all time high. I sent a recording of the piano piece to my band teacher, and he loved it so much that he suggested transforming it into a quartet. With the transformation complete and the dream finally a reality, I cannot wait to perform what I have created in front of an audience. My new aspirations are for the quartet to become recognized by a broader audience. I feel the recognition would not only motivate me to keep creating, but also make me truly feel like my work has a meaningful and positive impact toward others. This impact toward others is something that jazz musicians in the early 20th century strived for. A popular genre among African Americans, jazz became a way for them to express themselves musically. Their influence is felt in great presence to this very day, creating one of the most unique and inspiration genres. Music’s relevance to society is felt through the expressions and emotions implied felt by the listener. These were clearly outlined in the romanticism era, especially from composers such as Liszt and Chopin. There was an emphasis on love and emotion, which was felt in how fast or dynamically diverse the composers played. This expression of emotion is still seen in modern music today. This was also seen in the sub-genre of jazz; blues. The blues was a way for African Americans to express the discrimination and prejudice faced in the United States around the 1920s. This genre has been very inspiration for me, especially in my improvisation on the piano. Art will always have a very influential impact on not only artists, but all humans in all time periods. Whether it be through visual art or music, humans have been creating art for its joy and satisfaction for as long as our species has roamed this planet.

Are you sick and tired of learning about how to avoid being sick and tired? As you eagerly await the conclusion of health class, the clock seemingly crawls forward as your eyes dart to the wall every 10 seconds. You may not realize it, but this class is essential. Think about it: A class so general, everyone can learn something from it. You may remember your teacher discussing the 5 areas of well-being: physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual. Reflecting on all 5 ensures you encompass all aspects of your health. If you feel an overall adequate sense of well-being, your mental health will consequently improve. Here are the processes I use for each area: Physical: Am I feeling strong in the morning? Is my routine allowing myself to maintain good health? If not, I reflect on what I have been doing recently that may have caused this unhealthy feeling. Emotional: It is important to note that mental health is improved when all 5 areas of well-being are in a solid state, not just emotional health. I to periodically check my mood throughout the day, and overcome any problems I encounter by referring to the source. Social: Have I been maintaining healthy relationships with my friends and family? If not, similarly to how I attack problems with my emotional health, I refer to the source, try to locate the cause of the problem, and then solve it. Spiritual: Every night, I take the time to relax and allow my body to "melt" to improve my spiritual health. I highly recommend this technique. Intellectual: Am I continuing to challenge myself, not just in the classroom but in all aspects of my life? I make sure to check all of these aspects once a day. Yes, health class is important after all.

After studying classical music extensively from the ages of seven to fourteen, I could not imagine myself interacting with jazz in my musical career. Jazz seemed peculiar, and studying jazz piano seemed futile as I was aware that classical training was most valuable for performance and technical skills. So why bother? As I entered high school, my friends, aware of my piano skills, encouraged me to join the school's jazz bands. Figuring it would boost my GPA and realizing a lot of my friends were involved with the music department, I decided to join my freshman year. It was evident that my initial intentions did not suggest I was going to become interested in jazz. Recently, however, I have became increasingly enamored with not only jazz, but music theory, and how multiple instruments can come together to make something truly spectacular. I composed this jazz piece over the summer of 2020 when my inspiration was at an all time high. I sent a recording of the piano piece to my band teacher, and he loved it so much that he suggested transforming it into a quartet. With the transformation complete and the dream finally a reality, I cannot wait to perform what I have created in front of an audience. My new aspirations are for the quartet to become recognized by a broader audience. I feel the recognition would not only motivate me to keep creating, but also make me truly feel like my work has a meaningful and positive impact toward others.