Growing up on a 5th generation walnut farm I saw how amazing and difficult the agricultural industry is. From a young age my siblings and I all worked on the farm, we knew what long hours, and hard physical labor was. I saw how hard my dad worked, while also how under valued and appreciated ag was. Many people do not understand that ag is responsible for every single ingredient of food. Although I will not be taking over our family farm, I chose the career path of Animal Science in order to help those in ag. After graduating with an animal science degree, I hope to work in the field of animal nutrition as a nutritionist. Many ranchers have a personal nutritionist for their animals, beef cattle and dairy cattle are a major part of the industry. They have a nutritionist come out to help see how they can best care for their animals while also giving the most affordable feed. Many times this is complicated, it is not a simple or easy task. Through my education I hope to be able to help ranchers understand and find new ways to feed their cattle all of the necessary nutrients they need while also being able to make a profit and keep the ranch going. I would also like to use my knowledge and experience to teach in the local community and school programs. Students need to be taught how to properly and nutritiously feed and care for an animal. 4-H and FFA have been major parts of the central Valley of California and where I have been blessed to live. These have helped many kids who do not grow up or now anything about ag understand what farmers and ranchers do, and even help them to grow a simple garden. Having a few fruit trees, berry bushes, vegetables, and potatoes can feed a family when times are tough. Growing up on a farm, their was more than one year of that. But because we used the resources we had, we were able to feed a large family just from what was grown on the property. Growing up in an agricultural community, I observed and experienced a variety of different agricultural jobs and sectors in the ag industry. Raised on a walnut and almond farm, I worked with row crops. My experience riding and competing on horses from the age of 10 allowed me to experience the ranching side of agriculture. I helped friends gather and brand their cattle and on a cattle ranch while also working with a horse trainer. I attribute all of these opportunities to the growth of my desire to further my education in agriculture. I desire to bring understanding through education and experiences to the next generation about the value and importance of the agricultural industry . I feel very blessed to have been raised on a family farm and in an agriculturally strong community that values work ethic and a job well done. Growing up in agriculture has built into my character fortitude and perseverance. I have learned to push through long days and beyond exhaustion to get the job done. The generations of men and women that have built our community have influenced my desire to want to continue in this industry. I look forward to continuing my education both in and out of the classroom.

Growing up on a 5th generation walnut farm I saw how amazing and difficult the agricultural industry is. From a young age my siblings and I all worked on the farm, we knew what long hours, and hard physical labor was. I saw how hard my dad worked, while also how under valued and appreciated ag was. Many people do not understand that ag is responsible for every single ingredient of food. Although I will not be taking over our family farm, I chose the career path of Animal Science in order to help those in ag. After graduating with an animal science degree, I hope to work in the field of animal nutrition as a nutritionist. Many ranchers have a personal nutritionist for their animals, beef cattle and dairy cattle are a major part of the industry. They have a nutritionist come out to help see how they can best care for their animals while also giving the most affordable feed. Many times this is complicated, it is not a simple or easy task. Through my education I hope to be able to help ranchers understand and find new ways to feed their cattle all of the necessary nutrients they need while also being able to make a profit and keep the ranch going. I would also like to use my knowledge and experience to teach in the local community and school programs. Students need to be taught how to properly and nutritiously feed and care for an animal. 4-H and FFA have been major parts of the central Valley of California and where I have been blessed to live. These have helped many kids who do not grow up or now anything about ag understand what farmers and ranchers do, and even help them to grow a simple garden. Having a few fruit trees, berry bushes, vegetables, and potatoes can feed a family when times are tough. Growing up on a farm, their was more than one year of that. But because we used the resources we had, we were able to feed a large family just from what was grown on the property. Growing up in an agricultural community, I observed and experienced a variety of different agricultural jobs and sectors in the ag industry. Raised on a walnut and almond farm, I worked with row crops. My experience riding and competing on horses from the age of 10 allowed me to experience the ranching side of agriculture. I helped friends gather and brand their cattle and on a cattle ranch while also working with a horse trainer. I attribute all of these opportunities to the growth of my desire to further my education in agriculture. I desire to bring understanding through education and experiences to the next generation about the value and importance of the agricultural industry . I feel very blessed to have been raised on a family farm and in an agriculturally strong community that values work ethic and a job well done. Growing up in agriculture has built into my character fortitude and perseverance. I have learned to push through long days and beyond exhaustion to get the job done. The generations of men and women that have built our community have influenced my desire to want to continue in this industry. I look forward to continuing my education both in and out of the classroom.

Growing up on a 5th generation family farm in the Central Valley, from a young age my siblings and I all worked on the farm, we knew what long hours, and hard physical labor was. I was 16 years old and it was harvest time on the farm. Which is the busiest time for farmers, 20 hour days of hard labor on your feet were common. I ran a walnut huller with my older brothers. After walnuts are gathered from the field they come to the huller where they are cleaned, dried, and ready to be cracked and sold to the consumer. During harvest as breakdowns happen people are exhausted and tired, especially working with your family and older brothers it was easy to get frustrated with one another. We all worked well together as we have worked our whole lives alongside each other. But when your older brother only a few years older than you is your boss and gets to tell you what to do. Many times little fights or agreements would happen. A specific harvest I will never forget was when I was 16 and running the walnut huller. This was one of the worst harvest in the last 100 years, there was rain during harvest, we had daily breakdowns. Anything that could go wrong went wrong. We are a small family farm and to run the equipment and huller we need experienced people and those who understand the huller and how to fix it. You have to be a bit of a mechanic working at the huller. My brothers, dad and I had not had a day off in over a month. We were working nearly 18-20 hours every day. And it is not a normal day's work, it is exhausting, stressful, hard work. I will never for get the day we started work at 6am and by 8am had a break down, of a belt in the huller snapping, it took 6 hours to repair this belt. We had to find a new belt with the specific modifications, pull the broken belt and replace it with the new one. This may sound simple, but this is a thick large, long, steal belt, it has rungs spaced out so dirt will come of the walnuts, but not big enough gaps to let the walnuts fall through. After 6 exhausting hours in 90 degree heat, we fixed it! We started the huller back up and ran for about an hour, until the new belt snapped. This had never happed in years, yet it happened twice. We now had another 6 hour fix ahead of us. My brother ran to a local agricultural supply store which had a belt in stock. It was about 2 hours away. We live out in the country on the farm, not near many people or stores. The nearest Starbucks was a minimum of 45 minutes away, it was never a place we visited often either. Being a 16yr Starbucks was a treat. For whatever reason when my brother was on his way back with the belt, he stopped by Starbucks and got me my first pumpkin spice latte. I will never forget when he brought that drink back. After that day from now on whenever I think of a pumpkin spice latte, I think of my family, the farm, and hard work. What shaped my life growing up and who I am today. That no matter what hardships life throughs your way, hard work, your family, and a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte will always get your through it.

If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you.” – Winnie the Pooh The summer of 2015 was the first summer we spent in our new home. We moved the previous fall from the home I had known all my life. My grandparents lived across the driveway to the right of our house and my cousins two orchards over to the left. Between my cousins house and ours was a large grass field my grandparents had with fruit trees because they wanted a place for their grandkids to play. My cousins and siblings baseball and soccer practices were held there regularly, often coached by my dad, or uncle. The baseball field was just a few miles down the road. I had soccer league friends, dance friends and church friends. But this summer felt different. I was in a new place, and a new season of life. Throughout this summer I didn’t have many friends at all. All of my sports had come to a close, and those friendships ended with them. So I dove into the word of God knowing it was the best place to go. Through this not only did I learn the importance of friendship but also and more importantly how to rely on God. God graciously took his time to answer my prayer. He wanted me to know and understand just how powerful and in control He is. He wanted me to know he was for me and wanted to bless me with genuine friendships for his glory. He wanted to teach me that he was to be the reason for desiring and growing in friendship. Truth is we were not made to do life on our own. Needham reminds us, “Our calling is a corporate one. Following Jesus is an individual decision but not an individual assignment. We are a chosen race not a chosen person. We are royal priesthood, not a royal priest. We are a holy nation a people for his own possession. We are not on this journey by ourselves.” Unfortunately, in this broken world, there are broken friendships; counterfeit concerns for one another with a payout of selfish gain, and togetherness that leaves one feeling still alone. Our souls are thirsty. Thirsty for the living water, Jesus. But our natural bent is to look for something outside of the one who created us. We want to be validated. Desired. Liked. Needed. We want the people we most value to approve of your choices & decisions. Friendships have the power to shape our lives. They can move us forward into a greater relationship with our creator God or pull us back to worship an idol from an ideal that replaces who is meant to be our first love. The perfect friendship is an allusion. But we can have a perfect friend in Jesus. It is through him and in his power that we have the strength to love well, forgive and live at peace with all men. John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. Pointing our friends to Jesus who is living water for our thirsty souls will be the real truth of a friendship. Since the summer of 2015, God has spun his truth, the truth of his word, through my friendships. It is only in my continued growth and understanding of the holiness of God that I can live this life side by side in true friendship.

Growing up on a 5th generation walnut farm I saw how amazing and difficult the agricultural industry is. From a young age my siblings and I all worked on the farm, we knew what long hours, and hard physical labor was. I saw how hard my dad worked, while also how under valued and appreciated ag was. Many people do not understand that ag is responsible for every single ingredient of food. Although I will not be taking over our family farm, I chose the career path of Animal Science in order to help those in ag. After graduating with an animal science degree, I hope to work in the field of animal nutrition as a nutritionist. Many ranchers have a personal nutritionist for their animals, beef cattle and dairy cattle are a major part of the industry. They have a nutritionist come out to help see how they can best care for their animals while also giving the most affordable feed. Many times this is complicated, it is not a simple or easy task. Through my education I hope to be able to help ranchers understand and find new ways to feed their cattle all of the necessary nutrients they need while also being able to make a profit and keep the ranch going. I would also like to use my knowledge and experience to teach in the local community and school programs. Students need to be taught how to properly and nutritiously feed and care for an animal. 4-H and FFA have been major parts of the central Valley of California and where I have been blessed to live. These have helped many kids who do not grow up or now anything about ag understand what farmers and ranchers do, and even help them to grow a simple garden. Having a few fruit trees, berry bushes, vegetables, and potatoes can feed a family when times are tough. Growing up on a farm, their was more than one year of that. But because we used the resources we had, we were able to feed a large family just from what was grown on the property. Growing up in an agricultural community, I observed and experienced a variety of different agricultural jobs and sectors in the ag industry. Raised on a walnut and almond farm, I worked with row crops. My experience riding and competing on horses from the age of 10 allowed me to experience the ranching side of agriculture. I helped friends gather and brand their cattle and on a cattle ranch while also working with a horse trainer. I attribute all of these opportunities to the growth of my desire to further my education in agriculture. I desire to bring understanding through education and experiences to the next generation about the value and importance of the agricultural industry . I feel very blessed to have been raised on a family farm and in an agriculturally strong community that values work ethic and a job well done. Growing up in agriculture has built into my character fortitude and perseverance. I have learned to push through long days and beyond exhaustion to get the job done. The generations of men and women that have built our community have influenced my desire to want to continue in this industry. I look forward to continuing my education both in and out of the classroom.

Growing up on a 5th generation walnut farm I saw how amazing and difficult the agricultural industry is. From a young age my siblings and I all worked on the farm, we knew what long hours, and hard physical labor was. I saw how hard my dad worked, while also how under valued and appreciated ag was. Many people do not understand that ag is responsible for every single ingredient of food. Although I will not be taking over our family farm, I chose the career path of Animal Science in order to help those in ag. After graduating with an animal science degree, I hope to work in the field of animal nutrition as a nutritionist. Many ranchers have a personal nutritionist for their animals, beef cattle and dairy cattle are a major part of the industry. They have a nutritionist come out to help see how they can best care for their animals while also giving the most affordable feed. Many times this is complicated, it is not a simple or easy task. Through my education I hope to be able to help ranchers understand and find new ways to feed their cattle all of the necessary nutrients they need while also being able to make a profit and keep the ranch going. I would also like to use my knowledge and experience to teach in the local community and school programs. Students need to be taught how to properly and nutritiously feed and care for an animal. 4-H and FFA have been major parts of the central Valley of California and where I have been blessed to live. These have helped many kids who do not grow up or now anything about ag understand what farmers and ranchers do, and even help them to grow a simple garden. Having a few fruit trees, berry bushes, vegetables, and potatoes can feed a family when times are tough. Growing up on a farm, their was more than one year of that. But because we used the resources we had, we were able to feed a large family just from what was grown on the property. I hope to be able to help other kids and families grow their own garden's in a simple, effect way while also saving money and learning. Growing up in an agricultural community, I observed and experienced a variety of different agricultural jobs and sectors in the ag industry. Raised on a walnut and almond farm, I worked with row crops. My experience riding and competing on horses from the age of 10 allowed me to experience the ranching side of agriculture. I helped friends gather and brand their cattle and on a cattle ranch while also working with a horse trainer. I attribute all of these opportunities to the growth of my desire to further my education in agriculture. I desire to bring understanding through education and experiences to the next generation about the value and importance of the agricultural industry . I feel very blessed to have been raised on a family farm and in an agriculturally strong community that values work ethic and a job well done. Growing up in agriculture has built into my character fortitude and perseverance. I have learned to push through long days and beyond exhaustion to get the job done. The generations of men and women that have built our community have influenced my desire to want to continue in this industry. I look forward to continuing my education both in and out of the classroom.

Growing up on a 5th generation walnut farm I saw how amazing and difficult the agricultural industry is. From a young age my siblings and I all worked on the farm, we knew what long hours, and hard physical labor was. I saw how hard my dad worked, also how under valued and appreciated ag is. Many people do not understand that ag is responsible for every ingredient of food. Although I will not be taking over our family farm, I chose the career path of Animal Science in order to help those in ag. After graduating with an animal science degree, I hope to work in the field of animal nutrition as a nutritionist. Many ranchers have a personal nutritionist for their animals, beef cattle and dairy cattle are a major part of the industry. They have a nutritionist come out to help see how they can best care for their animals while also giving the most affordable feed. Many times this is complicated, it is not a simple or easy task. Through my education I hope to be able to help ranchers understand and find new ways to feed their cattle all of the necessary nutrients they need while also being able to make a profit and keep the ranch going. I will also use my knowledge and experience to teach in the local community and school programs. Students need to be taught how to properly and nutritiously feed and care for an animal. 4-H and FFA have been major parts of the central Valley of California and where I have been blessed to live. These have helped many kids who do not grow up or now anything about ag understand what farmers and ranchers do, and even help them to grow a simple garden. Having a few fruit trees, berry bushes, vegetables, and potatoes can feed a family when times are tough. Growing up on a farm, their was more than one year of that. But because we used the resources we had, we were able to feed a large family just from what was grown on the property. I hope to be able to find new ways to feed animals that give them the proper nutrients while also still being affordable for the ranchers. Which is changing due to the prices of commodities, and drought, storms always changing. Growing up in an agricultural community, I observed and experienced a variety of different agricultural jobs and sectors in the ag industry. Raised on a walnut and almond farm, I worked with row crops. My experience riding and competing on horses from the age of 10 allowed me to experience the ranching side of agriculture. I helped friends gather and brand their cattle and on a cattle ranch while also working with a horse trainer. I attribute all of these opportunities to the growth of my desire to further my education in agriculture. I desire to bring understanding through education and experiences to the next generation about the value and importance of the agricultural industry . I feel very blessed to have been raised on a family farm and in an agriculturally strong community that values work ethic and a job well done. Growing up in agriculture has built into my character fortitude and perseverance. I have learned to push through long days and beyond exhaustion to get the job done. The generations of men and women that have built our community have influenced my desire to want to continue in this industry. I look forward to continuing my education both in and out of the classroom.

“If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you.” – Winnie the Pooh The summer of 2015 was the first summer we spent in our new home. We moved the previous fall from the home I had known all my life. My grandparents lived across the driveway to the right of our house and my cousins two orchards over to the left. Between my cousins house and ours was a large grass field my grandparents had with fruit trees because they wanted a place for their grandkids to play. My cousins and siblings baseball and soccer practices were held there regularly, often coached by my dad, or uncle. The baseball field was just a few miles down the road. I had soccer league friends, dance friends and church friends. But this summer felt different. I was in a new place, and a new season of life. Throughout this summer I didn’t have many friends at all. All of my sports had come to a close, and those friendships ended with them. So I dove into the word of God knowing it was the best place to go. Through this not only did I learn the importance of friendship but also and more importantly how to rely on God. God graciously took his time to answer my prayer. He wanted me to know and understand just how powerful and in control He is. He wanted me to know he was for me and wanted to bless me with genuine friendships for his glory. He wanted to teach me that he was to be the reason for desiring and growing in friendship. Truth is we were not made to do life on our own. Needham reminds us, “Our calling is a corporate one. Following Jesus is an individual decision but not an individual assignment. We are a chosen race not a chosen person. We are royal priesthood, not a royal priest. We are a holy nation a people for his own possession. We are not on this journey by ourselves.” Unfortunately, in this broken world, there are broken friendships; counterfeit concerns for one another with a payout of selfish gain, and togetherness that leaves one feeling still alone. Our souls are thirsty. Thirsty for the living water, Jesus. But our natural bent is to look for something outside of the one who created us. We want to be validated. Desired. Liked. Needed. We want the people we most value to approve of your choices & decisions. Friendships have the power to shape our lives. They can move us forward into a greater relationship with our creator God or pull us back to worship an idol from an ideal that replaces who is meant to be our first love. The perfect friendship is an allusion. But we can have a perfect friend in Jesus. It is through him and in his power that we have the strength to love well, forgive and live at peace with all men. John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. Pointing our friends to Jesus who is living water for our thirsty souls will be the real truth of a friendship. Since the summer of 2015, God has spun his truth, the truth of his word, through my friendships. It is only in my continued growth and understanding of the holiness of God that I can live this life side by side in true friendship.

Growing up on a 5th generation walnut farm I saw how amazing and difficult the agricultural industry is. From a young age my siblings and I all worked on the farm, we knew what long hours, and hard physical labor was. I saw how hard my dad worked, while also how under valued and appreciated ag was. Many people do not understand that ag is responsible for every single ingredient of food. Although I will not be taking over our family farm, I chose the career path of Animal Science in order to help those in ag. After graduating with an animal science degree, I hope to work in the field of animal nutrition as a nutritionist. Many ranchers have a personal nutritionist for their animals, beef cattle and dairy cattle are a major part of the industry. They have a nutritionist come out to help see how they can best care for their animals while also giving the most affordable feed. Many times this is complicated, it is not a simple or easy task. Through my education I hope to be able to help ranchers understand and find new ways to feed their cattle all of the necessary nutrients they need while also being able to make a profit and keep the ranch going. I would also like to use my knowledge and experience to teach in the local community and school programs. Students need to be taught how to properly and nutritiously feed and care for an animal. 4-H and FFA have been major parts of the central Valley of California and where I have been blessed to live. These have helped many kids who do not grow up or now anything about ag understand what farmers and ranchers do, and even help them to grow a simple garden. Having a few fruit trees, berry bushes, vegetables, and potatoes can feed a family when times are tough. Growing up on a farm, their was more than one year of that. But because we used the resources we had, we were able to feed a large family just from what was grown on the property. Growing up in an agricultural community, I observed and experienced a variety of different agricultural jobs and sectors in the ag industry. Raised on a walnut and almond farm, I worked with row crops. My experience riding and competing on horses from the age of 10 allowed me to experience the ranching side of agriculture. I helped friends gather and brand their cattle and on a cattle ranch while also working with a horse trainer. I attribute all of these opportunities to the growth of my desire to further my education in agriculture. I desire to bring understanding through education and experiences to the next generation about the value and importance of the agricultural industry . I feel very blessed to have been raised on a family farm and in an agriculturally strong community that values work ethic and a job well done. Growing up in agriculture has built into my character fortitude and perseverance. I have learned to push through long days and beyond exhaustion to get the job done. The generations of men and women that have built our community have influenced my desire to want to continue in this industry. I look forward to continuing my education both in and out of the classroom.

There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship. – Thomas Aquinas "Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together." Woodrow Wilson “If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you.” – Winnie the Pooh The summer of 2015 was the first summer we spent in our new home. We moved the previous fall from the home I had known all my life. My grandparents lived across the driveway to the right of our house and my cousins two orchards over to the left. Between my cousins house and ours was a large grass field that was a formerly walnut orchard. My grandparents had the orchard torn out and replaced with grass and lined with fruit trees because they wanted a place for their grandkids to play. My cousins and siblings baseball and soccer practices were held there regularly, often coached by my dad, or uncle. I had soccer, baseball, and basketball league friends, dance friends and church friends. I grew out of some of these activities, and I dropped some by choice. But even as I did, I continued to have opportunities to meet new people and make friends. But this summer felt different. I was in a new place, and a new season of life. Throughout this summer I didn’t have many friends at all. All of my sports had come to a close, and those friendships ended with them. This was the first time I started to feel lonely, like the world was spinning around me and I was not moving at all. It felt like no one had noticed. So I dove into the word of God knowing it was the best place to go. Through this not only did I learn the importance of friendship but also and more importantly how to rely on God. God graciously took his time to answer my prayer. He wanted me to know and understand just how powerful and in control He is. He wanted me to know he was for me and wanted to bless me with genuine friendships for his glory. He wanted to teach me that he was to be the reason for desiring and growing in friendship. Author Kelly Needham in her book Friend-ish states, “It has been said that friendship may be more important than marriage because not everyone will marry but everyone needs friends.” Truth is we were not made to do life on our own. Mrs Needham reminds us, “Our calling is a corporate one. Following Jesus is an individual decision but not an individual assignment. We are a chosen race not a chosen person. We are royal priesthood, not a royal priest. We are a holy nation a people for his own possession. We are not on this journey by ourselves.” Unfortunately, in this broken world, there are broken friendships; counterfeit concerns for one another with a payout of selfish gain, and togetherness that leaves one feeling still alone. Our souls are thirsty. Thirsty for the living water, Jesus. But our natural bent is to look for something outside of the one who created us. We want to be validated. Desired. Liked. Needed. We want the people we most value to approve of your choices & decisions. As Mrs Needham states, “This is how we know we are letting our friends replace Jesus as judge in our lives - when we prefer their glory over his.” When we run to our friends instead of Jesus to fulfill our deepest longings it isn’t a real friendship. This neediness eventually sucks the life out of our friendships and turns them into a shell of feel goods and pats on the back. Deep refining honest conversations are replaced by shallow “weather talk”. Friendships have the power to shape our lives. They can move us forward into a greater relationship with our creator God or pull us back to worship an idol from an ideal that replaces who is meant to be our first love. Friendships are an avenue for us to live out the gospel as we extend grace to one another when we have been offended or offer patience through actively caring for a struggling friend. It is through these hurts we experience in our relationships that God exposes us, changes us and sanctifies us. The perfect friendship is an allusion. But we can have a perfect friend in Jesus. It is through him and in his power that we have the strength to love well, forgive and live at peace with all men. John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. The daily pursuit of God produces consistent fruit in friendships. Once you have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, you want others to know this same goodness. And it is from that place we move forward with a generous spirit to bring them to Jesus In Mark 2:3-5, four friends did just this. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Their faith in Jesus shaped their understanding of what it means to be a friend. Pointing our friends to Jesus who is living water for our thirsty souls will be the real truth of a friendship He has taught me as Job 6:14 says “He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.” It is only in my continued growth and understanding of the holiness of God that I can live this life knowing I am never truly alone.

There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship. – Thomas Aquinas "Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together." Woodrow Wilson “If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you.” – Winnie the Pooh The summer of 2015 was the first summer we spent in our new home. We moved the previous fall from the home I had known all my life. My grandparents lived across the driveway to the right of our house and my cousins two orchards over to the left. Between my cousins house and ours was a large grass field that was a formerly walnut orchard. My grandparents had the orchard torn out and replaced with grass and lined with fruit trees because they wanted a place for their grandkids to play. My cousins and siblings baseball and soccer practices were held there regularly, often coached by my dad, or uncle. I had soccer, baseball, and basketball league friends, dance friends and church friends. I grew out of some of these activities, and I dropped some by choice. But even as I did, I continued to have opportunities to meet new people and make friends. But this summer felt different. I was in a new place, and a new season of life. Throughout this summer I didn’t have many friends at all. All of my sports had come to a close, and those friendships ended with them. This was the first time I started to feel lonely, like the world was spinning around me and I was not moving at all. It felt like no one had noticed. So I dove into the word of God knowing it was the best place to go. Through this not only did I learn the importance of friendship but also and more importantly how to rely on God. God graciously took his time to answer my prayer. He wanted me to know and understand just how powerful and in control He is. He wanted me to know he was for me and wanted to bless me with genuine friendships for his glory. He wanted to teach me that he was to be the reason for desiring and growing in friendship. Author Kelly Needham in her book Friend-ish states, “It has been said that friendship may be more important than marriage because not everyone will marry but everyone needs friends.” Truth is we were not made to do life on our own. Mrs Needham reminds us, “Our calling is a corporate one. Following Jesus is an individual decision but not an individual assignment. We are a chosen race not a chosen person. We are royal priesthood, not a royal priest. We are a holy nation a people for his own possession. We are not on this journey by ourselves.” Unfortunately, in this broken world, there are broken friendships; counterfeit concerns for one another with a payout of selfish gain, and togetherness that leaves one feeling still alone. Our souls are thirsty. Thirsty for the living water, Jesus. But our natural bent is to look for something outside of the one who created us. We want to be validated. Desired. Liked. Needed. We want the people we most value to approve of your choices & decisions. As Mrs Needham states, “This is how we know we are letting our friends replace Jesus as judge in our lives - when we prefer their glory over his.” When we run to our friends instead of Jesus to fulfill our deepest longings it isn’t a real friendship. This neediness eventually sucks the life out of our friendships and turns them into a shell of feel goods and pats on the back. Deep refining honest conversations are replaced by shallow “weather talk”. Friendships have the power to shape our lives. They can move us forward into a greater relationship with our creator God or pull us back to worship an idol from an ideal that replaces who is meant to be our first love. Friendships are an avenue for us to live out the gospel as we extend grace to one another when we have been offended or offer patience through actively caring for a struggling friend. It is through these hurts we experience in our relationships that God exposes us, changes us and sanctifies us. The perfect friendship is an allusion. But we can have a perfect friend in Jesus. It is through him and in his power that we have the strength to love well, forgive and live at peace with all men. John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. The daily pursuit of God produces consistent fruit in friendships. Once you have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, you want others to know this same goodness. And it is from that place we move forward with a generous spirit to bring them to Jesus In Mark 2:3-5, four friends did just this. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Their faith in Jesus shaped their understanding of what it means to be a friend. Pointing our friends to Jesus who is living water for our thirsty souls will be the real truth of a friendship He has taught me as Job 6:14 says “He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.” It is only in my continued growth and understanding of the holiness of God that I can live this life knowing I am never truly alone.

Growing up as a 5th generation walnut farmer my family has seen the beneficial impact technology can make, even within the agricultural industry. Harvest is the busiest time for farmers. A walnut huller is a processing facility which brings the walnuts in from the orchards picks out all of the bad and prepares the walnuts to be shipped to the consumer. At 10 years old I started working full time on my families walnut huller. I started working on the line clearing debris from the walnuts. Over 30 years ago we would have only been able to process around 80,000 pounds of walnuts within a 12 hour work day. Many times depending on the quality of the walnuts you have run the equipment a lot slower therefore, we would only process around 40,000 pounds those days. We used to have over 10-15 people needed to help clear the debris. As technology has progressed, we are now down to 2 - 3 people needed. This is because of the advancement's in technology which are able to scan the walnuts and pick out the bad or rotten walnuts. This has made is possible for my family to process over 400,000 pounds of walnuts in just one day. Because of technology we have been able to grow our family farm, to hire more workers and service more customers. I have decided to pursue a career within the Animal Science industry. While I will be working with animals not trees or walnuts technology has also helped to improve the animal science industry. We are able breed animals in a safer, less dangerous, effort with a higher success rate through artificial insemination. We have also seen how the dairy industry has grow and is now an extremely efficient industry due to automatic feeders, gates, milking systems, tags. There are now technological systems which can tell the farmer when a cow is sick, or not eaten all their feed as usual. I have personally experienced the benefits from technology and seen how it has helped our family farm to grow. I plan to use technology in order to help with the raising, feeding, and nutrition of livestock. Just as we have seen in the dairy industry, I hope to be able to bring about advancements to help ranchers. Helping ranchers to better track the health of their cattle and the nutrients needed. Technology can help to improve the overall efficiency of the agricultural industry.

Growing up as a 5th generation walnut farmer my family has seen the beneficial impact technology can make, even within the agricultural industry. Harvest is the busiest time for farmers. A walnut huller is a processing facility which brings the walnuts in from the orchards picks out all of the bad and prepares the walnuts to be shipped to the consumer. At 10 years old I started working full time on my families walnut huller. I started working on the line clearing debris from the walnuts. Over 30 years ago we would have only been able to process around 80,000 pounds of walnuts within a 12 hour work day. Many times depending on the quality of the walnuts you have run the equipment a lot slower therefore, we would only process around 40,000 pounds those days. We used to have over 10-15 people needed to help clear the debris. As technology has progressed, we are now down to 2 - 3 people needed. This is because of the advancement's in technology which are able to scan the walnuts and pick out the bad or rotten walnuts. This has made is possible for my family to process over 400,000 pounds of walnuts in just one day. Because of technology we have been able to grow our family farm, to hire more workers and service more customers. I have decided to pursue a career within the Animal Science industry. While I will be working with animals not trees or walnuts technology has also helped to improve the animal science industry. We are able breed animals in a safer, less dangerous, effort with a higher success rate through artificial insemination. We have also seen how the dairy industry has grow and is now an extremely efficient industry due to automatic feeders, gates, milking systems, tags. There are now technological systems which can tell the farmer when a cow is sick, or not eaten all their feed as usual. I have personally experienced the benefits from technology and seen how it has helped our family farm to grow. I plan to use technology in order to help with the raising, feeding, and nutrition of livestock. I hope to be able to bring about advancements to help ranchers. Helping ranchers to better track the health of their cattle and the nutrients needed. Technology can help to improve the overall efficiency of the agricultural industry.

“If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you.” (Winnie the Pooh) The summer of 2015 was the first summer we spent in our new home. We moved the previous fall from the home I had known all my life. My grandparents lived across the driveway to the right of our house and my cousins to the left. I had soccer, baseball and basketball league friends, dance friends and church friends. This summer was different. Throughout this summer I didn’t have many friends at all. All of my sports had come to a close, and those friendships ended with them. So I dove into the word of God knowing it was the best place to go. Through this not only did I learn the importance of friendship but also and more importantly how to rely on God. That fall, I started meeting more girls at our church and discovered sweet new friends. New families also joined our debate club and in both places I found kindness, genuineness and camaraderie. Time spent together turned into memory making adventures. God graciously took his time to answer my prayer. He wanted to teach me that he was to be the reason for desiring and growing in friendship. Truth is we were not made to do life on our own. Unfortunately, in this broken world, there are broken friendships; counterfeit concerns for one another with a payout of selfish gain, and togetherness that leaves one feeling still alone. Our souls are thirsty. Thirsty for the living water, Jesus. But our natural bent is to look for something outside of the one who created us. We want to be validated. Desired. Liked. Needed. We want the people we most value to approve of your choices & decisions. Mrs. Needham states, “This is how we know we are letting our friends replace Jesus as judge in our lives - when we prefer their glory over his.” Friendships have the power to shape our lives. They can move us forward into a greater relationship with our Creator or pull us back to worship an idol from an ideal that replaces who is meant to be our first love. Friendships are an avenue for us to live out the gospel as we extend grace to one another when we have been offended or offer patience through actively caring for a struggling friend. It is through these hurts we experience in our relationships that God exposes us, changes us and sanctifies us. The perfect friendship is an allusion. But we can have a perfect friend in Jesus. It is through him and in his power that we have the strength to love well, forgive and live at peace with all men. John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. The daily pursuit of God produces consistent fruit in friendships. Their faith in Jesus shaped their understanding of what it means to be a friend. Pointing our friends to Jesus who is living water for our thirsty souls will be the real truth of a friendship. Since the summer of 2015, God has spun his truth, the truth of his word, through my friendships. He has taught me as Job 6:14 says “He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.” It is only in my continued growth and understanding of the holiness of God that I can live this life side by side in true friendship.

Having someone to admire can put them in a spotlight of perfection. You may at times see them as being perfect. Thankfully for me this was not the case for the person I admire, instead I saw every little flaw and loved to point them out to him. My older brother Caleb is only 4 years older than me, yet someone I have always admired and looked up to. Not because he was perfect by any means, but because of his work ethic, drive, and dependability. Caleb is one who shows up to every game, helps you practice, while also having a busy life chasing his own dreams. Growing up I watch my older brother and was glued by his side. I always have admired his ability to fail while in the spotlight, while learning and growing from his failure. He never has let failure stop him, he has always kept going and working hard. Even during the changeling times, Caleb worked hard to pursue his goals. In high school we competed in a national debate league called Stoa. Caleb had a goal to become the top speaker and debate team in the nation. There are hundreds of competitors and he knew this would take years of hard work. Meetings with top economist, and understanding many topics he was told he was to young to understand. By his Senior year of high school, I watched by older brother at the national final tournament make it to the final debate round, and become the best speaker in the nation. This took years of hard work, I'll never forget walking into the room where hundreds of people would sit to watch him debate in the final round, he walked up to me and gave me a hug and said "I did it, I'm here, this is what the years of hard work has lead to and paid off". Following in my older brothers footsteps, At 12 years old I began my first year of competing in National Homeschool Christian Speech and Debate. For the next years my family would travel all across the United States competing in Speech and Debate. When I was 8 years old my older brothers started speech and debate, I enjoyed going and watching the debates, mainly policy debates. I quickly began to learn and understand what was going on in the real world and how our economy, world trade, and the government worked. Then at the age of 12 I was finally old enough to start speech and debate. We would travel to different tournaments located at colleges all over the United States. Tournament where anywhere from 1 - 7 days long, there was over 10 different competitive speeches, and 4 types of debate. I wanted to be able to further my understanding of the real world. Seeing how what we were debating was a current issue and topic. We had to fully understand both sides of the argument. I enjoyed having to defend a bill saying to end all foreign aid in one debate, and in the next debate having to argue the exact opposite. Having to understand both sides of the argument has grown me to be able to better discuses and understand the different belief's ideals and morals of others. I choose speech and debate to grow and prepare myself for the future. To be able to critically and logically think while being able to properly articulate and communicate my ideas. Our judges in debate were anywhere from the common man, to doctors, lawyers, economists. I learned how to speak to everyone and anyone.