Over the years, I've grown to love the theater, and what it has done for me. When I first started performing, I was a very self-conscious, high school student, I had extremely low confidence and overthought everything. However, when I set foot on stage, I feel like a completely different person. I no longer had to be myself, I could escape reality and put myself in someone else's shoes, and live out their story. Through this, I was able to develop a deeper love and appreciation for the performing arts, but my motivation and love for this subject have changed over the years, and have shaped me into who I am today. Through deep thought, and pondering, I concluded that the reason why I loved performing so much is that it creates a safe place for human beings to express emotion. For me, expressing emotion is what makes us human, or at least a large part of it. Today in society, there are a lot of "negative" emotions, but I beg to differ. The theater provides a safe place for humans to express those "negative" emotions, such as anger, hatred, sorrow, shock, or even horror. Every emotion given to us should be expressed in the right place, and theater provides that safe place. All my life, my dream is to become an actor. It has made a huge impact on my life, both in the audience and on stage, and I want other people to have that opportunity, which I want to bring to them. No matter where I go in life, or what I do, my true heart’s desire is to become an actor, bringing forth stories, and letting people express emotions that give them life.

In my life, I have been influenced by so many different things in so many different ways. If I were to only choose 2 of the influencers, I would have to say Movies and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The reason is, the movies I watch have always had a message. A message that encourages good to fight evil, to sacrifice, and do what is right no matter what! This is one of my deep morals, and the Church of Jesus Christ has had a say in this as well. Through the church, I’ve been taught to be honest, loyal, and true. I’ve learned the difference between right and wrong, and I have a strong desire to do what is right in the eyes of God more than anything. He has helped me in the hardest, and the happiest times of my life. During my entire childhood, there were all sorts of new lego lines. This has given me the most amazing childhood because I learned to think, brainstorm, organize, and create something I wanted to hold and play with. To this day, I adore going home and sitting down and just building what comes to my mind. The best part is I’ve gotten better over the years and I love the stuff I create. Focusing on the present though, I am rather happy for the man I’ve become. I do my very best to stay true and honest about who I am wherever I go, and by doing so, I hope to impact other people’s lives. Having people feel like they are awesome gives me so much joy! Being around others feels like home, loving others, laughing with others, and simply listening to others is something I hold dear to my heart. I don’t feel many people in the world share my morals, which makes me sad, but gives me the motivation to be at least one of those people. I feel different from others, yes, but I like being different. No longer do I worry about what people think about me but rather I care about what I think of myself, and what God thinks of me. I have a strong belief that I can make a difference in the world. However, if I were to choose one thing to be known for when I die, it wouldn’t be some huge achievement, but rather simply being “good”. I wish to simply be the “good” guy in this world that made a bit of a difference. My perspective on things is one thing, but when I hear some of my close friends’ thoughts and perspectives of me, it shows me that I’m doing something right. Both friends I asked mentioned that I was funny, friendly, and loving. They both said how much of an impact I make, or can make, in any situation. Asking friends has also helped me see some of my weaknesses, such as the fact that I care so much about others, I often forget about my mental well-being, and that can be damaging. Thankfully, they both saw the humility inside me as necessary to improve. I am so grateful for who I’ve become. I feel that the goals I’ve made for myself and others are being accomplished because those around me, see what I desire to become. Although I am not perfect, I strive to become better every day, and looking inward and describing myself to myself, helps me stay in the moment, and continue on this journey of becoming who I was born to be: Skyler Ross.

One ability that I have found within myself, that sets me apart from other people, is my ability to love and care. All around me, I see people make logical judgments about things and others and then have their actions reflect their judgment. This being said, this is not a bad thing! I make judgments too every day, maybe some incorrect, and others true, but no matter what conclusion I come to, a sense of love never dies with that person. With this mindset, I truly feel that I can make a difference in my community, leading by example. Despite my own opinions, I can see people as actual people and not a walking argument I disagree with. I believe everyone should be treated with kindness and respect despite their opinion and perspective. We should all strive to understand and listen to each other's perspectives. With this kindness and consideration, they hopefully will do the same for you. However, that is not the goal. We are masters of our own destinies, the only person we control is ourselves. We are in charge of how we treat others, not how they treat us. It is up to us to live a life that can be viewed upon as an example, on how we can go through life being the best we can. Growing up in a small-ish town, you really get to know the people and area well. In high school, many of my friends had opinions on many things that I didn't necessarily agreed with. But, knowing that I would be with them for the next several years through school, it was up to me if we were going to get along. Because of this decision, I was able to make many lifelong friends. They often mentioned how my perspective of things were weird, or odd, or simply just different compared to theirs. I'm ok with being different, because that's what fuels change. In my community if everyone thought the same, nothing would change, which may seem nice at first, but I always remember there's no such thing as a pure utopia in this world, ergo, change and improvement must always be at play. I am not someone to sit behind the side lines, and watch life take it's course. I am a master of my own ship, and I alone am at the helm. I truly believe that if you can step up and be different among others and stand fast, you can change the world.

Over the years, I've grown to love the theater, and what it has done for me. When I first started performing, I was a very self-conscious, high school student, I had extremely low confidence and overthought everything. However, when I set foot on stage, I feel like a completely different person. I no longer had to be myself, I could escape reality and put myself in someone else's shoes, and live out their story. Through this, I was able to develop a deeper love and appreciation for the performing arts, but my motivation and love for this subject have changed over the years, and have shaped me into who I am today. After several shows living out my dream of becoming an actor, I decided to continue with life which led me away from the theater for a short period. Through this path in life, I gained better self-confidence in who I am, and what I believe in. I consider this indeed a turning point in my life. so when I returned to the performing arts, I had to question why I loved performing so much. Through deep thought, and pondering, I concluded that the reason why I loved performing so much is that it creates a safe place for human beings to express emotion. For me, expressing emotion is what makes us human, or at least a large part of it. Today in society, there are a lot of "negative" emotions, but I beg to differ. The theater provides a safe place for humans to express those "negative" emotions, such as anger, hatred, sorrow, shock, or even horror. Every emotion given to us should be expressed in the right place, and theater provides that safe place. A quote that I've taken with me throughout these years talks about how a good story is what brings people together the best. In a matter of speaking, the theater is simply one big story being told. There are all sorts of stories that are told in the theater that can provide the audience with opportunities to express such "negative" emotions. The creativity that goes into each performance is something else that I truly admire. Despite having a set script for a play, there will always be a unique performance that no one else has done before. This is due to the creativity and imagination of the both of the Director, and the actors. This creativity draws out different emotions which help capture the audience into the unique story that has been told. All my life, my dream is to become an actor. It has made a huge impact on my life, both being in the audience, and on stage, that I want other people to have that opportunity, which I want to bring to them. Unfortunately, I understand that the acting route as a career is very finicky when it comes to pay. I have goals to support a family, let alone, myself, later in life. So I've been able to explore other careers that can allow me to have a steady income. I discovered, theatrical, therapeutics, which is able to incorporate therapy through theater in a sense. But no matter where I go, or what I do, my true hearts desire is to become an actor, bringing forth stories, and letting people express emotions that give them life.

The greatest financial advice I have ever received was this: "If my grandmother was looking over my shoulder as I purchased something, would she be proud of me?"

One of the most important things I feel in life that is not utilized enough, especially in education, are people's imaginations. There are several intellectual individuals with the ability to take down data, conduct research, form equations, and build tall structures, however, the beauty of an imagination, can open up a whole world of possibilities! Education should help teach individuals to make something of this world we're given. Everyone can learn to do basic things such as thing stated before, but everyone's unique to their imagination, that cannot be taught to everyone. If education was able to prime ones mind, sparking an explosion of ideas in every individual, we would be living in a completely different world! The world we live in is very structured, and very organized, and honestly, it is also often boring. Imagination has unlimited possibilities, making it extremely not boring but unique every time. The only limit is the individuals cognitive abilities, which is why education should begin to help people at a younger age, to use their own imaginations, creating new ideas, and changing the world in their own way!

I choose to be grateful. As I look around this world, there are so many things to worry about, to be sad about, to be angry at, and so on. However, for me personally, I’d much rather be grateful for all the blessings I have! I choose to be grateful! I choose to be grateful, to focus on the things I have received, and find joy when I ponder about them. I will always have things that give me heartache, but I choose to be grateful.

In a world where there is so much uncertainty, I stand firm with my mindset of things will turn out to be ok. I myself suffer from anxiety and depression, some days are excruciatingly difficult to get through. However, I know what I can take, and I hold fast to my belief and hope that things will be ok no matter what. When I’m deep in the pit of depression, which can be compared to just an emptiness, it’s difficult to feel anything. You don’t know how long it lasts, days, maybe even weeks. I have several friends and family that suffer the same way as I do, it’s hard to see them go through this pit of despair. Their hope and faith waivers and sways when this happens. I hope to not only be confident that things will be ok in the face of trials, but also to be an anchor for those that have a hard time feeling that exact way. I live my life to be brave for myself, and those I love. There’s so much heartache in the world regarding mental illness, and I’m grateful I suffer this way so that I can relate, and connect to others who suffer in similar manners. I love those around me, and I know that I can make a difference if I decide to be brave not only for myself, but to be brave for others.

Not only has my education shared my understanding of the world, it's broadened my view on the world as a whole. I grew up with a big imagination, thinking the world was at my fingertips! Turns out you need to put in some effort to actually accomplish that. I've taken several classes both in high school, and in college that I wasn't terribly interested, but I'm grateful for those classes because it gave me perspective into parts of the world that I now know exist, but know I don't want to pursue. By seeing what pursuits are out in the world other than those I'm interested in, it helps me understand that the world is full of possibilities and individuals with various types of interests. I always find it fascinating talking to someone who is extremely passionate in their field of study or work, other than my own. I will never understand what it's like to be that passionate about someone thing I'm not interested in, which makes speaking to those individuals that much more invigorating. I am able to step into their shoes, partially at least, and try to feel what they feel about those subjects, building my understanding and appreciation for other fields of work. I'm grateful for the diversity of this world, and the lessons that can be learned by that. Without these differences, I feel the world would be a pretty bleak place, but by having these differences I can better understand parts of the world and people I live around.

I have found the love of my life. We’ve been dating for almost one and a half months and are very much in love. I want to be with her for the rest of my life, and I want to be able to provide her the very best I can offer. If I were to acquire $1,000, I would immediately thank Heaven for it. To show my love for her I’d invest in the nicest ring I can find for her, and I’d show her that very ring while on one knee. As a broke college student, finding income from anywhere is a blessing. Not only do you need to pay for tuition, but housing, books, food, and the list goes on. Now that I’m planning in the very near future to marry my crush, that list of expenses will only grow. Money will be tight, but I am determined to make it work. She deserves the very best, and although I am not perfect, I’m prepared to give her my very best. With this extra money, we would only be that much more financially stable, however little it may be. I love her, so I will do everything I can to show her that love.

There are several things I owe in life to my mother. Not only did she bring me into this world but she kept me going through this world during some of the most difficult times of my life. It wasn't necessarily what she said, but what she did made all the difference to me. During high school, my emotional and mental strength were not at its peak. I worried and overthought everything which drove me to depression, which I didn't realize until further down the road. On a particularly hard night, I was mentally broken, and simply could not go on. Although I was a teenager, my dear mother sat down on the couch, and held me in her arms as if I was a 3 year old. She didn't say anything, she just held me tight and close while I cried. Another example of how my mother has impacted my life, is that when I look back now, I can see all the wisdom she told me, all the council she gave me, really were for my benefit, and if I was wise and listened to them, I would've avoided so many troubles and trials. My mother, really did know best. Lastly, my mother taught me to love God. Her testimony shined bright for me and I've always wanted my own testimony to be like hers. I saw her faith by her willingness to serve and go to church, fulfilling her callings to the best of her ability. I love my mom, and I know that she loves me with all her heart. I'm so grateful for her and for everything that she has taught me to be, and become. I'd do anything for my mother because she would do the same for me. God truly sent an angel from heaven to be my mother.

Art comes in many different forms, the art piece I've chosen was a picture I took soon after I came home from a 2 year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It was a hard time adjusting, so I took up photography for a bit. My mother hand made quilts and blankets all my life, and I found myself bundled up with this particular blanket. I then took this picture which to me at the time, was more than just a normal "cool micro picture". With micro shots, you get to see things at a whole new perspective. For the entirety of the quilt, you see just a bunch of fabric shapes pieced together, but if you look even closer, you see that each of those shapes are made up of tiny threads. I feel that as we go through life, most people look at the big picture, seeing the grand scheme of things, but there is something beautiful about looking deeper, and closer at the details in our life. We can see that things we take for granted have so much worth and detail behind them. How many threads in total make up this fabric block? Thousands? Millions even? Whatever the number may be, I know that through life we need to sometimes take a step back, and look at the finer details in life. Not only will this help us gain a better appreciation for things, it gives us something beautiful to look at.

My best skill is that I love to make people smile. This goes several different ways, I love to make them smile onstage, and even listening to them one on one, letting them know that they have a friend who can help and support them. One way I'm improving this skill is simply by doing them! Practice makes perfect, and with every performance, every interaction I have with individuals, I get better and better every time. Not only do I love doing these things, I love and care about those I perform for and talk to, which in the end makes it all worth it.

I have had several High School friends that have gone through such experiences, and to say the least, it is extremely painful to watch. Some of them were expelled from school, and I haven't heard from them since. I am grateful that they did not overdose, but it may be only a matter of time. I'm a firm believer that the use of such substances should be watched out for. We are here on earth to watch out for one another, and I intend to be that person to watch out for my fellow brothers and sisters. Stories bring people together. One way I can think of to educate individuals is to share the stories I've heard and seen personally throughout my life. I love to travel, and with traveling comes new people to meet and learn from. I plan to spread these stories and help encourage the younger generation to stay away from such things to the best of their ability. However, things like this will always happen, no one is perfect. But that does not mean they still can't be helped. Whenever I find someone suffering from such things, I do my very best to show my love and support whenever they are in the dark pit of Substance use Disorder. When they are in that state, what they need more than anything is a friend. Someone they can turn to, someone they can trust, when they have the strength to ask for help. Forcing individuals to do or not do something is not someone I believe in, despite the decision. At the end of the day, despite my own efforts, they may still struggle, and choose to go down that path. But that won't stop me from being there for them. They need to know they aren't alone, and they can know that through stories. They also need a friend to watch out for them, to help them where and when they can. I intend to do these very things, not only because of my stance on Substance use disorder, but because I believe I can make a difference.

We are all born with one mouth, and two ears. This is a phrase that not only have I said multiple times, but those around me have began to say. The moral of this small quote is that we are meant to listen more often than to speak. I have always wanted to be someone where my friends, and even not my friends, can come or me and speak freely to someone knowing that they’ll be heard. Not only is listening important, what follows is often more important. What you say in response will show if you have listened, and not only heard what the other was saying. Listening and just hearing what the other person is saying is completely different. When someone comes me, and I know they need someone to listen, I sit down, shut my mouth, and let them go. I do my very best to stay focused and invested in what they tell me. I put myself in there shoes to connect more deeply to their emotions so I can better understand them and how they are feeling. Once they are completely done, and I’m sure of it, I begin with not a solution, but empathy. Anyone can say how to fix something right off the bat, but it means more to them if you get on their level, mourn with them, and then ask them for what you can do. By asking them, you put the ball back in their court, helping them know that they have been listened too, and that you want to help. I have a deep love for those around me, and I intend to help them wherever I can. All I do is make sure I sit down, stay patient, and listen to whatever is on their mind.

One important life lesson that I've learned in my life is to always stick to the facts. My dad told me while I was growing up to stick with the facts, and you'll have nothing to worry about. This has stuck with me for the longest time. I've been through ups and downs in my life, and my dad has always said this very thing in every situation. There was one time in High School, where I became the student body president of my class. I was optimistic about it all! But soon found out that it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I wasn't taught how to do anything, but rather, they expected me to know what to do and have it done. I was left clueless. There were moments where the teachers uncharge of the student body approached me and telling me that I need to step up. I was livid. I did not know what to say in return, so I decided to be respectful and say I will do my best to step up my game. Later when I was talking with my parents, I let out my feelings to them and not to my surprise, my dad said you must stick with the facts, and then you will have nothing to worry about. I decided to take this to heart in that moment. I returned to my duties as the student body president, doing everything in my power to do what I could with the little help I received. Whenever I "messed up", or wasn't doing what I needed to be doing, I was quick to correct myself, thanked them for directing me towards what I needed to be doing, then politely asked/told them that I needed to be told this information before hand, because I had no idea about what needed to be done or what my responsibilities are. After instances like that, I felt much more calm and at peace with myself because I knew I was doing everything I could to the best of my abilities, which helped me relax. Now, with this experience and others like it I can always remember the importance of focusing on the facts, and by knowing that, you can be more at peace. The experiences themselves were not pleasant to go through, but that's what makes them mean something to me. I can look back and see how it felt in the moment, but then see the difference when I focus on the facts, and understand I was doing my very best. I always strive to be my very best in life, and I know I can if I focus on the facts, and know for myself I'm doing the best I can.