I have always had an unusual definition of strength. Many believe strength is something you can see, whether it be muscles on someone's arms or medals on their wall. I believe strength is knowing your situation, and fighting to grow past it, no matter how difficult it may seem. I believe that strength, and being a fighter comes from supporting yourself and the people around you. I believe these people matter, and their futures are worth fighting for. My father was the definition of a fighter. He was a Navy SeaBee, an avid rock climber, a fitness instructor, a full-time engineer, and the only dad I’d ever know. But knowing him like I did meant I knew exactly how strong he was beneath the surface. To me, his strength was always in the lines on his face, showing his everyday struggle to exist under the stress of being a low-income family of five. His strength was in his gold-toothed smile, always brightening my day with jokes and promises of always being by my side. His strength was in his voice, whether it broke or boomed, it was the cry of support I thought would be a constant in my life. The last time I heard that voice was over the phone. He was in the hospital, having fought through his first suicide attempt. His voice was strong as ever, and even though he was just as afraid as me, he was there to comfort me. He made certain to reassure me with every minute he had. He had struggled with his mental health for a long time, and every step of the way, he was selfless and looked out for us. His final days were no exception. But when he was released, he attempted again and succeeded. The most heartbreaking part of losing my father to suicide was that I never got an answer as to why he did it. The closest thing I ever got was a series of notes he wrote for himself. He was going through intensive therapy and recorded his innermost thoughts and hopes. It has always been difficult for me to reflect on these. But I’m glad that I’ve held onto them. Even now that his life is over, his voice still reaches me through them. In his notes, he said, “I need to stay strong, so I can take care of my kids.” In his notes, he said, “I can change the future.” Even when it seemed he was losing his strength, he was fighting for his life. Amidst all the loss and heartbreak I felt, I knew that if he could go through what he did, and focus on fighting, so would I. Every day, I keep his memory with me, and every day, I keep up the fight. I have struggled constantly with my own mental health. I’ve watched my friends and family struggle with theirs. My goal in life is to be the voice of support they need, the voice I lost when my father passed. I fight for others, just as much as I fight for myself. My family matters to me in a way I can never express with words. I consider everyone who struggles with their mental health to be part of my family. No matter our differences, we all have our struggles. We all have felt like we’ve lost our strength. Therefore, I’d like to propose a change to the definition of strength that we so commonly accept. Strength is more than what you can do for yourself. Strength comes from all around. My family gives me strength. My friends give me strength. My father gives me strength. And I believe that they’re the reason I am a fighter. I believe just as much as my dad did, that I can change the future. But I wouldn’t believe this if I didn’t see a future with the people I care about. So every day, I fight to keep my community alive, and I fight to keep myself alive. I am an advocate for the people around me because I know we all are fighting. No one should have to fight alone, no one should have to be voiceless. I want to spread this message and I want to continue being an advocate so I can save lives. I believe our future is worth fighting for. I believe strength is more than physical. And I believe that if he could hear me say that, my father would be proud of me.

My name is Shawna Dodge. I am a 17-year-old high school student from Albuquerque, New Mexico. I’m a feminist, and a highly motivated one. I am motivated by many things: my family, my future, and the thought of becoming someone. I would not be the same person if these values weren’t so close to my heart. But the most important thing I could ever hope to do is change how women in STEM are seen. My dream is to become a pilot. I want to study aerospace engineering, I want to go to a STEM college. But I’ve always had this lingering sense of fear about it. Only 16.4% of commercial airline pilots are women. The school I plan to attend is 32% female. STEM is the field I love, but it doesn’t always love me. Men are cherished and uplifted in this field, women are sidelined and shamed. If I could do anything with my life, I would change that. Not just for me, but for every woman discouraged by this reality. I want to empower women to pursue their dreams through STEM. I want to see more women in the air, and I want to lead by example. If I could inspire just one person, my life would have been worth it. I plan on spending my life as a leader and role model. I will refuse to prove myself to anyone except those who don’t believe they can make it in this field. STEM has the great ability to change the world and make exemplary people of us all. Women should never be afraid to stand out and move us into the future, and I won’t either. I am motivated completely by the thought of making the STEM field a place for all incredible women. After all, if STEM can't change itself, how can it be expected to change the world? STEM, to me, is single-handedly the strongest catalyst for change around. Our world is flawed, but STEM and the passionate people in these fields work tirelessly to make it better. When I think of those people, I think of their drive, their courage, and their perseverance. It excites me to no end to think about what these people can achieve with those traits. To me, the future runs on STEM, and nothing is more encouraging to me than the thought of what we, especially as women, can accomplish in this field. In our day and age, STEM and information technology are all around us. It’s impossible to avoid, and I think I could impact the world through a job in information technology by revolutionizing the computer technology used by airplanes. These wonderfully flying machines can save lives, transport resources, and unite humanity. But nothing is truly perfect, and I believe through information technology, these life savers can be made as close to perfection as one can get. In my endeavors to improve this aspect of STEM, I would use this opportunity to give back to women. I hope one day to form a community of women in the aerospace field, where we can uplift and motivate each other. If I were to lead an information technology project such as this, I wouldn’t skip out on letting other motivated women in. Even in this small part of what information technology can do, STEM is there to help drive us into the future. But when I think about how STEM influences my future, I first think of my past. My father was an engineer. His work in STEM inspired me limitlessly. He worked with the New Mexico Department of Transport and was responsible for the beautiful bridges in our city. Every time I pass one, I’m reminded of him. In 2017, I lost my dad to suicide. The greatest challenge I’ve ever had to face was moving forward in my life without him. He was an inspiration to me. I was too young at the time to figure out how to replace that inspiration. I didn’t know who would be there to uplift me as he did. I thought for so long that I would be less of a person without him in my life. I needed that support more than anything. What could possibly keep me going if I didn’t have him? But amongst my depression was the truth that my father would not have wanted me to feel like an incomplete person. I needed to start becoming myself. I began saving every dollar for college, I took dual credit courses, and I maintained a 4.0 GPA all through high school. I refused to let myself be defined by my past. I worked hard and pushed myself harder. Throughout all the hardships, I never let the inspiration my dad gave me leave. I turned every last bit of it into making myself a strong individual, who could prove to herself that she is a whole person, no matter what. I became my own role model. I am always going to be by my side, and I will always believe in myself. To this day, I believe my future, and the future of those I hope to inspire, are waiting for me. No matter what life puts me through, I am willing to cross any bridge to get to that future, even if the past is just under my feet.