Creativity has always been very important to me. I have always been amazed by the fact that we have the ability to make something from nothing. Through our creativity, we can bring to life ideas, characters, and places that never would have existed otherwise. The mark that a pencil leaves behind can be transformed from a simple line, into anything you can imagine. For much of my life, my creativity has manifested itself through drawing. Almost nothing can match the excitement of opening a blank page and knowing that you are only limited by your own imagination. Some people may see a blank page as nothing. As a lack of anything. But I see it as a world of endless possibilities just waiting to be brought into existence. Today my love of drawing has not stopped, and it probably never will, but there are other ways I can express my creativity as well. I have begun to teach myself how to create mobile games. Through this medium, I can create new and immersive creations that go beyond what I could do with traditional media. I can create entire functioning worlds that could never be experienced without me. The only restrictions to what I can make, are those that I place on myself. Through creativity, you can visit places that you have never seen, and do things that are only possible in your dreams.

To me, joy is much more than simply happiness. It goes deeper than that. Joy is the feeling you get when you are so caught up in your excitement and delight, that you almost become unaware of yourself in the moment. You are simply experiencing that place in time. You feel a warmth within you. You may leap into the air, or act like a bit of a fool without caring who sees. Or maybe you just look around you and take it all in. You aren’t concerned with the worries of the world or really anything at all. This sense of pure jubilation does not have to accompany a huge achievement or amazing experience. On the contrary, I believe that joy is all about learning to appreciate the little things that make life wonderful. Seeing something as simple as a new flower peeking its way up through the earth on an early spring day can give your heart a burst of joy. Sometimes joy can seem elusive, or even impossible, due to all the pressures of everyday life. New troubles seem to pop up every day, and this can make it hard to feel joyful at all. But we can still find simple joys in our daily life. The hard part is learning where to look. Joy does not always seek us out and, in fact, it usually doesn’t. Experiencing everyday joy can be a difficult skill to master, but its value cannot be rivaled.

On an early September morning in 2020, I was shocked to hear my doctor on the other end of the phone imploring me to get to an ER as soon as possible. I had been into his office the day before because of some unusually easy bruising, and they had drawn some blood work and sent me home. I hadn’t fully expected anything to come of it, but now, here I was in my pajamas being told that my blood counts were dangerously low. I was shocked and scared. The next month was extremely hard. Doctors in and out of the hospital ran tests to try to find a cause, but so many of them came back negative that I started to question if they would ever find the answers I so desperately desired. I spent so much time in the hospital, and in infusion clinics getting transfusions to try to keep my counts up above the danger line, but these were just temporary fixes. Due to Covid restrictions, it was hard for me to see my family and I had to be by myself a lot of the time. All this happened while I was still in college online, working toward my degree in Computer Information Systems. All these things added to the stress. I felt like this might never end, and I started to question how long it could go on like this. In late November I finally got a diagnosis. I had a rare autoimmune disorder called Aplastic Anemia. This condition attacks your bone marrow, keeping your body from making blood properly. While it was a huge relief for me to get a diagnosis, there were still many difficulties moving forward. We made a treatment plan, and in December I went into the hospital to receive this treatment. I was in the hospital for another 12 days. There were some very unpleasant things I had to go through, and I came out of the hospital sapped of most of my strength and, even after treatment, it took several months to see results. These were some very difficult months for me. I am just now seeing blood counts that are within normal range, but I am on medications that make me very sick on a regular basis. Despite all these negatives, I have gained so much from this experience. I have learned that I am so much stronger than I thought. There were so many times that I had to say to myself, “this is something you have to do, so just do it” even when it was scary, difficult, or painful. Now I can look back on this experience with the knowledge that I can overcome any challenge that comes my way. If I can be strong and stand firm, I can accomplish any goal. It gives me great courage because most of my daily difficulties simply do not hold up when compared to the things I have been through. It has taught me that being brave does not mean that you can’t feel scared, and that being strong is much more than physical strength. Recently I have begun work on my own mobile application. I know that it will be a challenge, but I also know that I can handle it. It is really nothing compared to being in and out of the hospital while keeping a 4.0 in 4 college classes and worrying about daily blood counts.

Some people may believe that having a legacy means that people will remember who you were and what you did decades after you are gone. Others may think it means creating an empire or amassing lots of money or other possessions. To me, a legacy is what you leave behind you everywhere you go. I have the goal of becoming a mobile applications developer, and I would love to create my own company making mobile games. Some may see this as a pointless, or even worthless path, but I believe differently. If I can make someone’s life a little bit brighter, or give them something to look forward to, I think that would be a great legacy. I don’t need to become famous or make billions of dollars to leave my mark on the world. Life is about the little things that bring joy to your heart. After I am gone, people may not know my name or remember me for my lofty achievements, but maybe people will think of one of my creations and smile. Perhaps I will bring people closer together or help someone through a difficult time. If I can do that, I can be proud of my legacy.

From artificial intelligence to quantum computing, there are new technologies emerging and changing every day. With all of these new and exciting breakthroughs, it is hard to pick just one. However, the technology I am most excited about is virtual reality. Some people may think that VR is just an advanced platform for video games, but the truth is, it has so many more applications. While I am excited for new advancements in that direction as well, I think it is important to realize some of its more practical applications as well. Imagine, a sick child in the hospital could be transported to any location of their choice, simply by putting on a headset. The therapeutic benefits are easy to see. This type of therapy could make long stays in the hospital much more bearable for patients of all ages. Perhaps this could make something that is very often a negative experience, into a positive one. Besides therapeutic uses, this technology could easily be used for training purposes. Already, VR is used in flight simulations to train airplane pilots in a safe environment. This type of technology could be harnessed to train people in everything from truck driving to neurosurgery, all in a safe and controlled environment. In today's world, people are always searching for a new way to communicate with family and friends. With the COVID-19 pandemic, this has become even more relevant. VR could be an amazing answer to this problem. this technology could allow people to visit with their loved ones almost as if they were really there. Forget about the limitations of stationary screens. You could visit with people thousands of miles away, as if they were sitting on the couch right next to you. The potential uses of VR are endless. this technology seems to be largely dismissed as the powerful and practical tool that it is, with the idea that it is merely an advanced form of entertainment. I believe that this is a truly advantageous technology that can change the world for the better.

These last few years have presented some unprecedented circumstances in my life. Last year I watched as a global pandemic changed our world in ways we could not have imagined, then I spent about five months in and out of hospitals and infusion clinics being treated for a rare blood disorder. Needless to say, there were heavy restrictions on visitors during this time. Not knowing when I would be spending a weekend at home with my family, or in a hospital bed showed me just how important the little things are. It was the simple things, like just being at your own home, that I really missed the most It made me realize how much I had taken this for granted. The little things are all around us. Sometimes we get so caught up in everything that is going on that we forget to see life’s small pleasures. I have been learning to live in the moment. Focusing on the little things can really help you not to stress about what happened yesterday, or what could happen tomorrow. These days I get a lot of enjoyment out of going on outdoor walks with my family, which is something I was unable to do while I was still very sick. It is a simple source of enjoyment that really makes life better. This presents beautiful new things to me every day. It could be the sunlight filtering through the trees and casting shadows on the ground on a warm summer afternoon, seeing a butterfly gently drinking from a dandelion, or watching the billowy clouds floating across the sky. There is beauty everywhere if you only stop to admire it.

Ever since I was a young child I have been passionate about creating new things. This passion has manifested itself in many different ways throughout my life, but it is most often demonstrated through drawing. Some people may see a blank piece of paper as nothing, as an absence of anything, but I see it as an opportunity for endless possibility. It has the potential to become anything. This is a chance to create something from nothing, to breathe life into a new idea, and watch it take shape. My drawings are very rarely published or entered into contests. They are not created to be judged by others, but to fulfill a creative need within myself. Sometimes these drawings are a reflection of the world as I see it, other times they are an image of the way I wish the world could be. Most of the time they are a just simple way for me to satisfy the creative flame within me. As I go through my life, I will continue to carry this passion with me. It allows me to step back and contemplate the world around me, to notice the small things, as well as the bigger picture. It drives me and inspires me every day.