My relationship with Jesus is like having a father or an older brother. He is someone I can ask for advice when I am scared, angry, or lost. I often think about how "Jesus would treat everyone with kindness and patience, no matter who they are or what they have done." This is how I know He regards me. There is nothing I could ever do to lose His love. In my educational journey, Jesus has been a light when I am feeling hopeless or defeated. I always find strength in Him to keep going. If no one else is in my corner wanting me to succeed, it is Jesus. I know He will always want to see me reach my potential, and I never have to worry about failing or making mistakes, because through all of that He will never leave my side. He walks with me through hardship and will be there with me at the finish line. As a rising college freshman at Oregon State University and Portland Community College, I am majoring in Computer Science and Programming. The path I have chosen is challenging, but I am confident that my faith will guide me. Jesus teaches me to approach every challenge with kindness and patience, whether it is a difficult coding problem or a stressful exam. His teachings remind me to treat my classmates and professors with respect and understanding, just as He would. During high school, I maintained a GPA of 3.5 while being involved in various activities. I was part of the Century Theatre Company as an actress from Fall 2021 to Spring 2024, and I also contributed to the build crew for 100 hours. These experiences taught me the value of hard work and dedication. I also volunteered for 20 hours on the farmers market set up crew, which showed me the importance of community service. In addition to my extracurricular activities, I have held several jobs. I worked as a dishwasher at Topgolf from June 2023 to December 2023, and I am currently a crew member at Chipotle and a swim instructor at THPRD. Balancing work and school has been tough, but my faith in Jesus gives me the strength to persevere. I know that He is always with me, cheering me on and helping me to succeed. Moving forward, I plan to implement my faith throughout my educational journey by staying committed to my studies and continuing to treat others with kindness and patience. I will rely on Jesus for guidance and support, especially during difficult times. My relationship with Him will help me to stay focused and motivated, and I will strive to be a positive influence on those around me. In conclusion, my relationship with Jesus has deeply affected my faith and will continue to guide me throughout my educational journey. I am grateful for His unwavering love and support, and I am committed to living out His teachings in all that I do.

My mother suffers from CPTSD and Bipolar depression. She has gone through terrible things throughout her childhood including CSA and drug addiction. She is a wonderful woman who has done so many things for me as a mother and as a mentor. After hearing her story, I have always been aware of the people around me, and analyzing their behaviour. I am always watching out for people who could hurt me or others, or victims I could help. It has always been my belief that if you can help someone, you should. This year someone who I thought was a friend began grooming and manipulating a younger person. I and others noticed this behaviour and decided it must be stopped, but because they were both under the age of 18, we didn't know what we could do. I have reached out to the victim and helped her realize that she was being manipulated and was in danger. Through other friends worried for her health, I learned that she had been coerced into sex and that she had been physically hurt by it. There is nothing I can do to take away her suffering and her trauma, but we can get justice for her abuser. My personal beliefs about mental health focus on understanding. I have unresolved trauma that I didn't realize was still affecting me, and this realization has made my life difficult recently. All of my teachers have noticed and expressed concern for me. Finding a therapist has been a challenge. I know I might benefit from it, but every time I've gone to a therapist we don't get to talk about the things I'd like to address. I will have to tell them about my past trauma, then they'll have to call CPS even though I've already been through all of that. I relive my trauma every time and it gets so exhausting. At that point, I was so burnt out that I didn't want to continue. I still want to help in any way I can in my community. My mother was also in the foster care system and has spoken about how horrible it was for her. A long-term goal of mine is to become a foster parent. I know the system is broken and I cannot change what happens to the kids who don't come to me, but I would do my best to give the children that do a safe and caring home. Everyone deserves safety, dignity, and respect. And this is what I hope to give these children one day.

I think this essay is correct. We as a generation have been made to watch as our world leaders fight to keep us poor, stupid, and hateful of each other. We know their tactics and we understand that what they want to do is foster hate. To keep us fighting with each other so we don't see who's benefiting from our suffering. We are scared and tired and angry. We are getting older. Politicians know we are angry and that we have the power to change our world, and that's why they attempt to restrict voting rights. We have power and it terrifies them. We will take to the streets to protest police brutality or genocide in Palestine, Sudan, and Congo. We have been beaten down all our lives and we rise from the ashes through pure spite. I rise because I won't let this kill me. Not my body, mind, or soul. Our generation may not want to fix everything, but it's becoming increasingly clear that we are the only ones who can. I know I can make a difference. Maybe it's by voting, or attending a protest. I can leave my community better every time I see it. Protecting those who can't protect themselves, reaching out to my community with art, or volunteering with local support centers. The way forward may not be with rage at others who have broken our world. It must be with kindness and compassion. No matter how angry I am at our situation, I know that anger cannot be the answer. Kindness is the solution in Palestine. Empathy is the solution in the United States. Anger, greed, and fear will poison and kill us if we let it.

I lost my grandfather in November 2021. He had been a man I loved so much and who'd cared for me so much. I couldn't travel to his funeral, and for a couple of days, I didn't feel anything at all. I just knew I missed him and it was an adjustment to understand that I could never talk to him again. I could barely function and I didn't go to school much for the next few days. It was so hard to get on after his loss, but that's also when I started acting again. He was a veteran and we were performing a musical about WW1, which wasn't his war but it was close enough in my grief-addled mind that it didn't matter. Sometimes I could barely make it through rehearsal and singing the songs made me cry. I got through that show only by thinking about how proud he would have been. According to everyone who did go to the funeral, I was his favorite grandchild. I don't let it go to my head, but it made it easier to think about how, if he were here, he would be at every show to support me. And that's how I get through everything else. By thinking about how proud he would be. That he would try to be there or if he couldn't he'd call me to ask how my performances go. Every show since he's passed I think about how much I would have loved to have him in the audience. I can't quit because I would be letting him down. I am going to graduate on time and I'm going to go to this cool college that he thought was beautiful. When I get there I still can't relax because I have more to do and I need to make him proud of me.

I grew up with a big Hispanic family. We cared for each other, being loud with our laughs and generous with our love. Sometimes maybe too much drinking at the weekend barbeque and my uncles get in a fight. But my father the nurse is there to patch them up. At least, after putting me and my siblings in our room so we don't have to watch. My father was the most successful out of everyone. He was the one people went to for advice. When we lived in Utah, he studied to be a nurse and worked in hospice care. He dreamed of healing people and wanted to specialize in sports medicine. He wanted me to be successful and I looked up to him. I would sit in my room and study his flashcards, sorting them and sometimes quizzing myself. Growing up with my mother working physically demanding jobs, watching her recover through knee surgery, and coming home in so much pain she just passes out on the couch hurts me. Watching someone I love suffer and bleed for me makes me feel so guilty. I look at nursing as a way to help in the healing process. My father was always the one to massage her sore muscles and remind her to stay hydrated. Wrapping her legs and tapped her knees so she could stay with us in the moment instead of slinking upstairs to stretch. When I think about my potential role in the medical field, I think about working alongside experienced doctors and nurses who work long hours and study for years just so they can help ease someone's pain. The compassion they feel for their patients is so admirable and that is a trait I want to emulate. My father is no longer a nurse, which I am both sad and thankful for. He found a true calling in the field of computer science. Maybe I am just like him (like everyone has said my whole life) but I love computer programming. The logic behind it fascinates me to no end and I want to learn all I can about it. My new community in the computer science field is my father's work friends who know me so well because my dad doesn't stop talking about me. Seeing how successful and financially secure they are in their field makes me so excited for this path. Not all of them went to university. My father didn't even graduate high school on time. Because of this, I know how attainable my goals are, as long as I can stay on the right path. My primary goal when I enter university is to study computer science, focusing on cybersecurity, with my backup major being nursing.

I became “the new kid” in my sophomore year. The first year back in person during Covid was very interesting. I had transferred schools in that time so coming to Century I’d known nobody. I only had my brother, who was a freshman at the same time. At first, I was scared to try a lot of things. I quit band in the first few weeks because I was uncomfortable practicing without a mask on. I went through my classes and I was doing well. In choir, we were small but I made a few friends in that class and it was nice to see them every other day. My grandfather passed away that November and it really messed me up. I’d loved him so much and his death had been difficult to process at the time. Sometimes it still Is. I missed our first choir concert because I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t really go to school for the next two weeks after. I kept going back, still alone at school and feeling even more isolated at home because my father didn’t want to talk about it. Finally it was December and the spring musical was upon us. I was excited to hear about it, but learning that it was set during WW1 made me a little apprehensive. The military reminded me a lot of my grandfather who’d served in Vietnam and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to hold it together. Auditions were scary. I had done well on my monologue but I’d gotten so choked up on the singing and completely embarrassed myself. But I still got into the show. We were a very small cast of about 16. Even though I didn’t know any of them, it was nice to feel like it belonged somewhere. The show we put on was amazing. The songs were so fun to sing and getting to know everyone was life changing. Everyone I knew from that show I am still close friends with, even if they’ve graduated now. I met my best friends in this show, and the man who’s now my boyfriend. By the end, I didn’t feel so out of place. I was happy and confident and I’m so grateful to have had theatre in my life. Having a bad day at school doesn’t mean anything when I get to be on the stage with my friends every day after 3:30. I’m so lucky to have finally found true friends and people who welcome me into a space where I can truly be myself. Because of this wonderful experience I have been continuing my journey with acting and hope to keep going into college.

@samanthavialpando