It should have been terrifying; I was a sixteen-year-old girl flying to a new country by myself to begin something greater than what was destined for me. I have never been one to sit back and let life happen. I have watched this recurrence in my own family repeatedly throughout my life, but I will not succumb to the same fate. I have always had a yearning for something more, something deeper than the daily life. I love being involved in my small community and seeing my impact here, but I am certain that I will have an even greater impact all over the world someday. When I was immersed in a new country, surrounded by diverse people with goals and ambitions, I finally felt like I was truly living, something that I had not felt in an exceedingly long time. Getting on that plane was my first step in writing my own story, that I am so determined to create. Wanting to change the world while living in Ray, North Dakota is not always an easy thing to do. Getting an opportunity to do so is even more arduous, but I have never let that hinder my path. There was no “opportunity” presented to me when I decided for myself that I wanted to venture into the world when I was a sophomore. I researched how to do it, found a program, and talked with my school faculty about how I was going to make it possible. I felt as if I was having a grueling affair between passion and destiny. When I went abroad, I gained an entirely new perspective on the world and realized how fortunate I am. One day, as I was about to get on the metro in Budapest, I saw a sick, young mother lying on the ground with her children, covered in dirt; she did not even have the energy to ask for anything. There are homeless issues everywhere, but this moment enraged me. Just because she was a single woman, she had fewer opportunities to start a life for her and her children, already in terrible circumstances. I remember thinking that this was not her fault, and that what was happening to her was not fair. This was the moment when I decided I was not going to be a spectator anymore, and undying ambition ignited within me. I have been passionate about law since I was a little girl, but this is the moment that I realized I was destined to be a human rights attorney. Through this passion, I have realized that I do not just want to write my own story but have a part in writing others’ stories as well, things that they only thought could be fairy tales. I am starting small by being a voice for the people who are unable to speak for themselves. After speaking to underrepresented students, I decided during my senior year, I will work to recommence our old speech and debate team. I have hopes that this chance will blossom these students into strong people, whose voices will be heard. I would never have thought that stepping onto that plane would have made me into the person I am today but am so grateful that it did. I will not accept an existence where I sit back and let life happen to me. After all, I have never wanted to be someone's poem, I have always wanted to be the poet. I have so much more to give to this world and this is only the beginning of my story.

Kavya Dixit's quote "You don't have to be the sun for the people who don't appreciate your light", deeply resonates with me when reflecting on my childhood, especially the end of it. When I was young, I thought I had a fairly normal life, but ignorance really was bliss. My first brutal hit with reality was in fourth grade, when I developed an anxiety disorder and could hardly last a day in school without a panic attack. I eventually got things under control with therapy and started living my normal life again, but without my own worries to focus on, I started to see everything else. It wasn't until I got slightly older that I saw the cracks in the vase that was my life. Once I saw all the broken pieces I went into survival mode. Ever since I was a small kid, I wanted to be my family's rock, from singing and dancing for them, to sitting at the dinner table listening to their problems so I could be there for them. From the time I was in sixth grade I have been very aware and receptive about my family's struggles. No matter what, I would try to be there for whoever needed me. Even through my parents' divorce I was the peacemaker, and let my parents depend on me. Looking back now, so much has changed, but not the way I let people rely on me. I am the youngest of five kids (including stepsiblings), shouldn't I get to rely on someone? It gets exhausting, especially now when people take my light for granted. Considering this, I would have wanted to be asked “Are you happy?” This is such an odd thing to ask considering I was still a child and usually all children are relatively happy, but after fourth grade I wasn’t. I did not know what it was at the time but after I had my struggles with anxiety and my family, something changed, and it scared me. I didn’t have the ignorance anymore that once kept me a normal, relatively happy kid. I kept this feeling to myself because I needed to be strong for my family, and I didn’t know what was wrong with me, I was terrified. Although it can get very hard, I wouldn’t have the determination and goals that I do today without these struggles. Being asked this question may have given me the courage to be honest about what I was feeling and maybe relieve some of the pressure that I was constantly under. It would have been great to be asked this question, but that's not what happened. I am not bitter about the absence of this concern because it made me who I am today, and I am very proud of that. I learned that I had to depend on myself from a young age and have based my goals on that. I think I have been ready to graduate and live my own life since I was in fifth grade. Having this dependability and self-reliance has given me determination to do anything I set my mind to. I have already created so many great opportunities for myself that will help me become a better person. My biggest goal in life is to become an international human rights attorney. I have my goal set, and nothing will interfere with that. I have had a passion for law since I was in elementary school, and ever since I spent a semester abroad, I know that I can better human rights all over the world with my will power.

My favorite concert memory is from July 2023 at the North Dakota State Fair in Minot. It was a Ludacris and T-pain concert, and I didn't know if I would like it or not. I had never been a huge fan of either and didn't know if this kind of concert would be up my alley. To my surprise, it ended up being my favorite! The atmosphere was amazing, and everyone made friends with all of the strangers around them. I also think Ludacris was surprised at how lively small-town North Dakota is! Everything from the music he sang, to the ambiance was electrifying! This experience established my love for live music. I have always loved music in general and felt very connected to it, but live performances are a whole new adventure, and this concert made me realize that. It also showed me that sometimes it's not even about the music that is playing, but the people who are with you. Being with amazing people and having a great time with them is one of the main reasons this concert ended up being so great. Big thanks to Luda and T-pain for this experience!! My first ever concert was Bruno Mars. I think I was in fifth grade, and it was a surprise for me and one of my friends. Our moms took us, and it was a very surreal memory. It was extremely nerve-racking for me because there were a lot of people, and I had never been to a concert before. When we got in, I already knew I would like it, the environment of a concert has been something I loved from my very first time. Another reason this experience was so great was because Camila Cabello opened for him, and she was my favorite artist at the time. This memory is so precious because I remember jamming out to Bruno Mars when we found out we were going to his concert. We also made handwritten shirts that said, 'We Love Bruno", we were quite the fan girls. I also remember it being so loud that we wore earplugs for half of the concert. Our ears still ended up ringing on the way out of the venue. I was so tired on the car ride home, but so excited from that experience that I could not fall asleep. Both of these stories explain why I have such a passion for live music. Music has always been one of my most favorite things, but getting to experience in person, in such an exciting environment is out of worldly. I could not be more grateful for the experiences I have gotten to share with my best friends at live concerts.

My goal in life is to become an International Human Rights attorney. I have had a passion for law since I was in the sixth grade and my interest has only increased since then. The biggest deciding factor in what kind of law I wanted to go into was when I went on my foreign exchange during my junior year of high school. I experienced many diverse cultures and saw how thousands of people around the world are living. My exposure to the world provided me with an entirely new perspective on life and seeing that made me incredibly determined to change the world for the better, and for everyone. I have lived my entire life in a small town with minimal opportunity. Every experience that I have had, I have worked for, myself. To be frank, I have waited years and years to get out of here and make a real difference in the world. I am tired of seeing people ignore social justice problems because they do not think they have an impact. I hope that one day I can prove everyone has a part and a purpose in fighting for equality. I have already taken a fair number of steps in the direction of my future, which was more difficult to do than the average high school student. I come from a small school in a town of about 1,000 people. To make a difference here, I had to work extremely hard and take risks to get to where I am now. Over the years, I have held multiple leadership positions in FBLA, Student Council, Management, and my class government. I was persistent in those clubs to make my community better and show the younger students they can change. I have also asked my principal for special permission to get access to foreign language and other classes, since my school did not offer any of those. I now take Spanish 2 as an independent study, 6 college classes, and work study at a law firm where I am a legal assistant. I attended Flickertail girls state this past summer and learned so much about the government and career paths in political science. While I was there, I achieved the roles of city reporter, state attorney for my county, and was in the state cabinet as Attorney General. My experience there solidified what I wanted for my future and career path. I plan to achieve my goal of being a human rights lawyer by attending a respectable college and working extremely hard on school, activates, and hopefully an internship. I also plan to network and make good connections with people that will benefit my career. Having an interest in law at such an early age was interesting because it has made me work so hard towards my future and has made me enhance my skills to the best of my ability. Having a natural gift for business related skills has also empowered me to keep working. When I finally attain my dream career, I plan to immerse myself in international human rights justice and learn from the best while I am doing it. One thing I will do is defend the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Congo deals with awful injustices like sexual and gender-based violence, limited access to education, and inhumane detention conditions, just to name a few. I want to travel all over the world to help people and bring them justice and I will. This is only the beginning.

I would love to lie to you and tell you that I am a Pam. She is caring, attractive, shy, and friendly. All are things that could make a great person. Although I possess some of these qualities, these characteristics are not what define me. Which is why I confidently identify with Darryl. I resonate so deeply with Darryl because even though he is mellow and not the most relevant character in the show, he achieves great aspirations and does not let anyone get in his way. Like him, I may not always stand out, but that does not stop me from having incredible determination and working hard until I achieve my goals. He started from the bottom and created his own opportunities through challenging work and ended up at the top. His situation is similar to mine, and his character means a lot to me because of it. An additional reason as to why I relate to Darryl is our humor and personality. I love a challenge and being professional, but I also have a wicked sense of humor and love to be unserious at times. Occasionally I find myself getting impatient or annoyed with people around me, much like Darryl with Michael. The final trait I share with Darryl is his compassion. When you initially think of the character, compassion is not the first thing that comes to mind, but it has a key role in his character development. Without this aspect of Daryll, he would not have ended up being the V.P. of his best friend's company. I know I would not be on the path that I am, without having compassion for others. I started watching The Office when I was in fifth grade, and I am still a huge fan of the show today. I am 17 now, and no matter how many times I re-watch it, I still think it's amazing. It's safe to say the show has shaped some of my personality. I have the weirdest humor, but it is the best kind of humor. Sometimes I laugh at things that I probably shouldn’t, like “that’s what she said” jokes. I’m definitely not stopping though. Another thing that The Office taught me that I have carried with me for years, is to stand up for the underdog. I hate to say it, but I have always had a soft spot for Toby. Even though the dynamic between Michael and him was incredibly funny, the series showed me that everyone deserves to be treated decently. It also showed me that I shouldn’t take things so seriously and that work can be a fun place. Throughout my experiences in the office and what I have seen throughout the series, I learned that you really can become family with the people you work with, and the office is the best example of it.

I do not have an “ideal” bookshelf. I have my bookshelf, and it isn’t just ideal, it is exquisite. Without BookTok I wouldn’t have found a community of people who share my love for reading. It’s not only the community but the general understanding of another's adoration of literature. We all get to live thousands of lives through the books we read and for many, it is more than that. Reading is healing, a portal to another world where we forget about how hard life is; reading is finding the deepest of understanding in the most unexpected places. All in one book. At times, I am challenged to express my undying passion for certain topics, but reading has never been difficult for me to exhibit my keenness for, thanks to this platform. For this, I will be forever grateful to be a part of BookTok. My bookshelf is nearly completely inspired by social media. Besides my elementary school reads and books passed on to me, most of what I read is motivated by recommendations that originate from BookTok or similar online reviews. These books include romances, like Ugly Love, by Colleen Hoover, Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë, Me Before You, by JoJo Moyes, and Alone with You in the Ether, by Olive Blake; just to name a few of the hundreds I possess. Another favorite genre of mine is poetry/ autobiographies. Some of my favorite titles are I’m Glad my Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath, and Gucci Mane’s Guide to Greatness, by Gucci Mane. Lastly, a genre that I only undertook because of BookTok, that genre is Fiction. I never once thought that I would be interested in reading fiction books until I repeatedly saw reviews on the Sarah J. Mass series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and decided to give it a go. I’m incredibly happy I did because I loved the entire series, and it introduced me to a whole new genre that is becoming a new favorite of mine. As I see it, there are only a handful of “must read” books from Booktok, because everyone's taste in literature is completely diverse, which is what makes reading so beautiful. The first crucial read of booktok is A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara. This is one of the very first books that taught the platform about soul crushing loss, and from there, we were hooked. This is the book that taught us how to find beauty in loss and loveliness in our scars. My second “must have” is any piece of work by Rupi Khar. He takes wise, inspirational thoughts, and turns it into amazing poetry. Rupi Khar helped BookTok open up to important conversations and the genre of self-help. I believe that quite a few people on booktok felt heard and inspired by his writing. The last book of my essential reads list is Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover. Although this book is the least inspirational or raw out of this comprehensive list, it will always be my number one. Ugly Love is the first BookTok recommendation I read and the book that got me interested in reading again. This book will always hold a special place in my heart, because that is where it all started for me and was my introduction to Booktok. It did not stand out, as it was popular during the peak of BookTok romance and Colleen hoover craze, but I know that I was not the only one affected by this book or any other because of BookTok.