Billie Eilish is one of my all time favorite artist and I play her songs on repeat. My top three Billie Eilish songs are Wish you were gay, Happier than ever, and xanny. These songs got me through my teen years. Billie Eilish is almost the same age as me, and her music explains situations that I’ve gone through as well. Her song “Wish you were gay” is one of my favorites because it’s about loving someone who doesn’t love you back. She explains that she doesn’t want to want to feel this way, but she can’t help it. The song talks about how the other person is simply disinterested and she wishes it was because they were gay. I experienced a breakup where the other person was simply disinterested, and I wished nothing more than for them to be gay or there be a better explanation for the breakup. This song put into words what I felt exactly. Happier than ever is a song that got me through my loneliest teen years. I was working all the time and all I could think about was how much I missed this guy. It was a hard time in my life and this song is so incredibly beautiful and emotional. The way the tone switches and and the lyrics, I played it on repeat for months and months. The beginning is soft and I resonated with the way she calmly expressed that she was truly happier when she was away from the person. Then, the music changes to an aggressive tone and yelling and I understood that feeling. That feeling of rage and frustration, I felt that too. So that song helped me with validating how I felt about this man. Lastly, the song xanny, this song is dear to my heart. I have struggled with depression and anxiety for many years. This is something I can manage on my own, but my family tried to force medications on me or anything to stop what I was feeling. When I just needed to figure out what truly made me happy and what helped me cope in a healthy way. Nobody understood and instead of being there for me, they just wanted to silence me with medicine. This song talks about that in a different way. Billie is being influenced by the people around her to take xanny’s and she’s explaining that she doesn’t need a xanny to feel better. Billie Eilish isn’t afraid to talk about difficult feelings and situations in her music. That’s what I love most about her. The lyrics are deep and her vocals express the feeling her lyrics give. She also simply has an angelic voice, and even though I love most of her older music, I love how she’s playing with different sounds in her newer music. Her recent album “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” has a fun new twist. Some songs have a more techno vibe and others explore her sexuality. There isn’t a song by her that I don’t love, and it would mean so much to me if I were to win this scholarship.

When I was a little girl I dreamed of making a difference in my home town. At five years old I had big ideas. I wished to donate thousands of dollars to people in need or give thousands of meals to the homeless. Now that I’m older I realized that this is a hard thing to do. So, I’ve turned to community service and donating in small amounts. Putting in hard work to clean my town feels amazing. Whether I was cleaning cemetery’s with my Girl Scout troop or washing laundry at my local animal shelter. When I’m with people making a difference in my town, I feel the love from my community. With the SPCA I have gotten the privilege to foster sick kittens over the past few years. This tiny animal gives back so much love and appreciation. Also, being able to help my shelter when they are overcrowded or need assistance with cleaning feels great. Sometimes cleaning a grave site allows me to look at history and honor the people who once walked where I am today. The bonds that I formed with the girls on my troop during these outings were strong. Dance is a sport and hobby I have been passionate about since I was three years old. I have tried many different styles and competed. Now that I’m older I teach three year olds how to dance. I personally have over 60 students I instruct. Nothing has been more fulfilling then being able to teach something I love to excited children. Dance has been my favorite way to give back to my community and let kids learn how to express themselves through art. Not all volunteer work has small moments of joy or people that are grateful. However, you get a feeling in your heart that you know you’re making a difference. That’s all I need whenever I’m helping my community, and it’s a really cool feeling. When I am older I plan to have a career that allows me to give back to the world. I want to donate to organizations I am passionate about, like the SPCA. Since I have hands on experience at this wonderful shelter, I know that they deserve all the money in the world. One day I hope to give back to them and many more important programs.