For as long as I can remember it was just my mom. It turns out my parent got divorced when I was very young. I never see my father anymore, and I couldn't even tell you one thing about him. Luckily for me, my mom has been in the education field since before I was born. This single factor made my education goals and life one hundred times easier. She knew what classes to take, when I should take them, my graduation requirements, fees, all about college, and basically paved my entire school life for me. I started taking the ACT and SAT at the beginning of my sophomore year and I got into dual enrollment college credit classes a year before my peers, all thanks to my mom. I am thankful for her with the knowledge that many kids don't have a mom like I do. I look back now and remember how often I used to complain and think it was embarrassing to be so ahead and prepared compared to everyone else. Yet, what I didn't realize, was that she was actually shaping me into the person I am today. Smarter, wiser, and a well-rounded person, and all the credit goes to her. The best part was, she was even supportive. My mom told me I could grow up to be anything I wanted as long as I worked hard enough to get it. She was the one to encourage me and drive me to every activity and club I did to better my education. She was the one to convince me to join my school's mock trial team and the student council committee as a result of me being an aspiring attorney. Little did I know, that I would become the leading prosecutor in mock trial and the junior class secretary. She pushed me to keep working when I was at my lowest points and to never give up. It is because of her, that my work motive is the way it is today. She taught me to get up every time I fail and to learn from my mistakes, which is the best advice a mom can give, especially to one who wants to go to law school. Saying thank you one million times still wouldn't be enough for all that she has done for me. I can say that it is I, who earned the A in a class, but it was her who got me to that class. I should be thanking her that I am graduating high school with over 50 college credits. I should be thanking her for all those times she took me around the country to tour college. I should be thanking her for the fact that I am a step ahead. Most importantly, I should be thanking her for the success of reaching the goal of having my dream job, when the time comes.

For as long as I can remember it was just my mom. It turns out my parents got divorced when I was very young. I never see my father anymore, and I couldn't even tell you one thing about him. Luckily for me, my mom has been in the education field since before I was born. This single factor made my education goals and life one hundred times easier. She knew what classes to take, when I should take them, my graduation requirements, fees, and about college, and basically paved my entire school life for me. I started taking the ACT at the beginning of my sophomore year and I got into dual enrollment college credit classes a year before my peers, all thanks to my mom. I am thankful for her with the knowledge that many kids don't have a mom like I do. I look back now, and I remember how often I used to complain and think it was embarrassing to be so ahead and prepared compared to everyone else. Yet, what I didn't realize, was that she was actually shaping me into the person I am today. Smarter, wiser, and a well-rounded person, and the majority of the credit goes to her. The best part was, she was even supportive. My mom told me I could grow up to be anything I wanted as long as I worked hard enough to get it. She was the one to encourage me and drive me to every activity and club I did to better my education. She was the one to convince me to join my school's mock trial team and the student council committee as a result of me being an aspiring attorney. Little did I know, that I would become the leading prosecutor in mock trial and the junior class secretary. She pushed me ti keep working when I was at my lowest points and to never give up. It is because of her, that my work motive is the way it is today. She taught me to get up every time I fail and to learn from my mistakes, which is the best advice a mom can give, especially to one who wants to go to law school. Saying thank you one million times still wouldn't;t be enough for all that she has done for me. I can say that it is I, who earned the A in a class, but it was her who got me to that class. I should be thanking her that I am graduating high school with over 50 college credits. I should be thanking her for helping me to meet my graduation requirements. I should be thanking her for all those times she took me around the country to tour colleges. I should be thanking her for the fact that I am a step ahead. Most importantly, I should be thanking her for the success of reaching the goal of having my dream job, when the time comes.

Hello and thank you for taking the time to read my poem! My name is Sophia Dufour and this is one of the poems I used for a district poetry contest where I live. I am a junior at George Jenkins High School in Lakeland, Florida and I am 15 years old. The title of my poem is "Her". I hope you like it! Her She lied. Yet we kept her in our household Food, clothes, an upright—quality life How could I care so much but so little about a soul? She got caught, Yet she yelled at us Put us through misery Distress— Tears every night Fearful in the day Yet after that, She continued—like nothing happened Like what she did, didn’t perish us on the inside Hiding behind that disguise Dangerous. She hid that toxic belittling state of mind behind a lively face People looked at us and believed that we were the perfect family— The one everyone was inspired to be Yet they did not know the terror hiding behind The mask that we put on to keep ourselves sane. Horrified of what that girl could do next Never forgive— Never come back She lied, Someone I dared to call sister

The word "complex" is well enough to define my life. Along with other words like "hardworking" and "difficult". Biracial with Tourette's Syndrome, and future debt lined up, isn't a typical lifestyle for anyone. Well, that is, of course, me being the exception. My mom is a teacher and my dads a doctor so some could say, financially, we were set. My parents soon got divorced, leaving my mom alone, and we ended up moving across the east coast with little to no money due to her salary. I have two older sisters, so I can say all three of us combined didn't make my mother's financial situation any better. I can even say, I didn't make it any better when I got diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome. I got diagnosed 3 days before my 14th birthday and it cost my mom thousands of dollars for my tests and medicine. It was pretty unfortunate timing to develop a chemical imbalance in my brain while entering high school. High school is already difficult enough for everyone, but now I couldn't focus, or turn in assignments on time. My grades started to drop, and I went from being able to write college-level essays, to not even being able to complete a one-page worksheet. Despite having a disability, I chose one of the hardest, yet most expensive careers for my future, and that is law. I can say that choosing the path of becoming an attorney for my life is a great choice for me, which in all can be very expensive to even get there. Watching my two older sisters grow up and leave for college throughout my life, it taught me things about college and the real world in general. I became a step ahead of my peers by knowing graduation requirements, fees, when to start taking the ACT and SAT, how to apply to college, and more, just by watching my sisters. But, the story is a little different for me. Due to the financial situation in my household, my mom couldn't afford to pay for either of my sisters' tuition for college, rightfully so, and she can't afford to pay for mine either. Luckily enough, both of my sisters were able to get grants to help them pay off debt since my mom didn't make enough on her own. Recently my mom got married, and to the standards, my mom and stepdad make "too much" for me to get any grants. I have to pay for my undergraduate fees, as well as my law school fees by myself. I recently got a part-time job for the first time, and I am counting on scholarships and the little money I make in food production to help me reach my goals of success in the near future. My dream school is NYU which is out of state for me. Due to my financial needs, I decided I cannot have any debt from undergraduate school, since I will be in debt from law school. With that being the case, I have to stay in-state for college, as it will be a lot more affordable for my situation. With the great law academy at my high school which I am currently in, I am working towards becoming a certified paralegal at age 15. It is my goal and plan that I will be working as a paralegal while in college to pay off some of my future debt. I plan to continue to be conscious of my wealth, and hopefully make it to my dreams of the future.

Independence. One of the most valuable financial lessons I've had in my life. Although other people have ones like "save" or "spend consciously", mine is independence. I can admit that teenagers and young adults don't always listen or follow the rules, as I am one of them. We won't listen to our parents when they say "be careful with your money" or "spend wisely". Finance is a big word, with many meanings in the real world. The best way to learn it, is to actually experience it. None of us, or most importantly I, will not gain anything from hearing words that'll just go through one ear, and out the other. That's why independence, or experiencing things on my own, is the best lesson of them all. You will never fully understand a concept to its full meaning unless you experience that concept for yourself. Someone can tell me all day to spend wisely yet, it won't do a thing until I learn by myself. The saying "you won't believe it unless you see it" is a very true one applying to our lives. I found out how to save after spending all my money, and found out how to spend wisely after having no more money to spend. Experiencing the real world and responsibilities by myself, forever affected my financial views for the good, and will continue to do so. There is no better lesson than finally seeing the functions of the real world on your own.

Juliette Gordon Low. A name that doesn't get enough recognition. Leader, an independent woman, but most importantly known, as the founder of Girl Scouts. Girl Scouts is referred to as "a youth organization for girls" although, as one of the few young women coming from the organization, I can say that it is so much more. Girl Scouts raises girls into the young, and strong independent women they become. Some might say we just sell cookies, yet, I learned how to wove blankets for the homeless, share, be vocal, and more. Half of our girls grow up to be some of the many leaders in our society that you see today. Juliette started this, and it was her mission from the start. Juliette alone was a courageous woman. She had all of these characteristics and wanted to pass them on to girls around the world to build our society to be stronger, and give our gender a chance. Girl Scouts has the privilege to affect every girl personally making it a great experience for us all. Juliette was strong enough to create this for us in her time, when women were known as the "lesser" or, "weaker" sex. She created her organization knowing she could be thought less of, or even doubted on the way, yet she continued her dreams for the benefit of future generations. I should be thanking her that I grew up with many sisters from around the world. I should be thanking her for developing the kind, and wise characteristics inside of me. I should be thanking her for giving me the opportunity to help. I should be thanking her that my gender is no longer known as weak. We should all be thanking her, for creating the wonderful young women we know, and love today.

For as long as I can remember it was just my mom. It turns out my parents got divorced when I was very young. I never see my father anymore, and I couldn't even tell you one thing about him. Luckily for me, my mom has been in the education field since before I was born. This single factor made my education goals and life one hundred times easier. She knew what classes to take, when I should take them, my graduation requirements, fees, all about college, and basically paved my entire school life for me. I started taking the ACT in the beginning of my sophomore year and I got into dual enrollment college credit classes a year before my peers, all thanks to my mom. I am thankful for her with knowledge that many kids don't have a mom like I do. I look back now, and I remember how often I used to complain and think it was embarrassing to be so ahead and prepared compared to everyone else. Yet, what I didn't realize, was that she was actually shaping me into the person I am today. Smarter, wiser, and a well rounded person, and all the credit goes to her. The best part was, she was even supportive. My mom told me I could grow up to be anything I wanted as long as I worked hard enough to get it. She was the one to encourage me and drive me to every activity and club I did to better my education. She was the one to convince me to join my schools mock trial team and the student council committee in result of me being an aspiring attorney. Little did I know, that I would become the leading prosecutor in mock trial and the junior class secretary. She pushed me to keep working when I was at my lowest points and to never give up. It is because of her, that my work motive is the way it is today. She taught me to get up every time you fail, and to learn from my mistakes, which is the best advice a mom can give, especially to one who wants to go to law school. Saying thank you one million times still wouldn't be enough for all that she has done for me. I can say that it is I, who earned the A in a class, but it was her who got me to that class. I should be thanking her that I am graduating high school with over 40 college credits and will be saving money. I should be thanking her for meeting my graduation requirements. I should be thanking her for all those times she took me around the country to tour colleges. I should be thanking her for the fact that I am a step ahead. Most importantly, I should be thanking her for the success of reaching the goal of having my dream job, when the time comes.

My greatest achievement isn't like many others. I didn't get a certificate, medal, or trophy. My achievement is more internal than most. That achievement was overcoming my insecurities, myself, and all my mental boundaries. At the beginning of my freshman year, I was diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome 3 days before my 14th birthday. This completely devastated me, my big dreams, and I thought my goals of being an attorney were over. After learning that Tourette's Syndrome is incurable, and I would most likely be dealing with it for the rest of my life, I just wanted to give up. My entire life, I was known as one of the smarter few. I had straight A's, and I loved to write. I went from being able to write college-level essays at a young age, to not even being able to turn in simple worksheets on time due to my tics. I constantly had to step out of class because of tic attacks, and I could never focus. My grades started to drop and I became so disappointed in myself to the point where I started to listen to the people who would make fun of my disability. Soon enough, I realized Tourette's Syndrome and people laughing weren't enough to make me lose all hope. I started to study harder and join more activities to the point where I can't even count how many clubs I'm active in. I joined almost 10 activities and clubs and some even to help me on my path to law. A few are mock trial, student council, FBLA, and youth in government. The best part was I even excelled in these clubs. My hard work eventually paid off when I became the leading prosecutor on my mock trial team and the junior class secretary. My GPA raised to a 4.0 and I started to take college credit classes and will graduate with over 40 college credits. I even continued my love of writing, and become a published author. I amaze myself every day when I look back and see how much I went through and where I am now. My greatest achievement to date was bringing myself back up to the person I knew I could be. It taught me that if I keep getting up when I fall down, I can make it. That I can accomplish so much more, it's just that I have to have the mindset that I can, and play the world's mental game first. Yet, I know my work isn't done. I want to achieve being a lawyer. I want to achieve an acceptance letter, a passing grade, and more importantly, a degree. I want to achieve the power, time, and effort of being a lawyer. I am truly motivated to pursue higher education, with all I have been through and with the knowledge knowing I can accomplish so much more.

Divorced parents, racially mixed, and Tourette's Syndrome, are some of the things I deal with in my life on a daily basis and are what make me, well me. The word "complex" is a word well enough to define my life. From my parents getting divorced while I was at a young age and moving across the east coast, life started off pretty rocky. I got bullied throughout middle school for my weight and being different. At the beginning of my freshman year, I got diagnosed with Tourettes Syndrome 3 days before my 14th birthday. Freshman year is already hard enough for anyone, but this devastated me. I went from being able to write college-level essays, to not even being able to turn in simple assignments on time due to my tics. I became extremely insecure from the words of others that I would hear on a daily basis. One day I decided that I wasn't gonna let anything stop me. I found new ways to cope with my tics like stress relievers and medicine. I noticed that I can still do the things I love, and even find new things I love. I became so happy with myself, that I can't even count how many things I am active in at my current high school. I want to help and tell my story to the ones who were once in my shoes, who were scared, tired. Who don't think they can amount to anything, and let them know, it doesn't matter where you come from. If you get up every time you fail, anything is possible. I want to help others find their path to success, just like I did. The fight isn't over, and I want to be one of the few helping.

Divorced parents, racially mixed, and Tourette's Syndrome, are some of the things I deal with in my life on a daily basis and are what make me, well me. The word "complex" is a word well enough to define my life. From my parents getting divorced while I was at a young age and moving across the east coast, life started off pretty rocky. I got bullied throughout middle school for my weight and being different. At the beginning of my freshman year, I got diagnosed with Tourettes Syndrome 3 days before my 14th birthday. Freshman year is already hard enough for anyone, but this devastated me. I went from being able to write college-level essays, to not even being able to turn in simple assignments on time due to my tics. I became extremely insecure from the words of others that I would hear daily. One day, I decided that I wasn't gonna let anything stop me. I noticed that I can still do the things I love, and even find new things I love. I became so happy with myself, that I can't even count how many things I am active in at my current high school. Things such as a law and vet academy, FFA, mock trial team, Girl Scouts, poetry contests, student council, FBLA, youth in government, and softball. Not only am I active in these things, but I also excelled in them. I look back, and I even amaze myself with how much I accomplished in a year and how amazing everything I did was, especially at my age. I still have a lot to do and all my goals aren't reached yet, but I can say that I am happy in the place where I am now, compared to where I came from.

"Budget", "Savings", and "Loans", are a few words I've heard all throughout my life. My mom was always good with her money for as long as I can remember, and I always looked up to her for that. When I was little, my mom, dad, my two older sisters, and I lived in New York. My mom is a teacher and my dads a doctor so some could say, financially, we were set. My parents soon got divorced, leaving my mom alone, and in the care of us three small children. We ended up moving across the east coast with little to no money due to my mom's salary. She continued to be conscious of her wealth and we soon were able to move into a nice house, and rebuild our lives. Growing up, I eventually got my first debit card and my first job. My mom has always told my siblings and I to be careful with our money and to save for the bigger things we want. I chose the path of becoming an attorney for my life, which in all can be very expensive to even get there. I have to pay for my undergraduate fees, as well as my law school fees by myself since my mom doesn't have the money to help. I am counting on scholarships and the little money I make in my food production job to help me reach my goals of success in the near future. While on old drives with my mom, we always passed some of the biggest houses a little girl could see. I would follow with the words "I want that one!" about every two seconds. My mom would always say, "Spend wisely, and you can do it, Sophia". Some of the best advice I've ever gotten.

My life wasn't always like this, but it will continue to be so. When I was in seventh grade, I found my love of law through a civics class. From there on out, I decided I wanted to be a criminal law attorney. By the end of eighth grade, I was preparing to join the law academy at the high school I was entering, and to start taking concrete steps toward my future dreams. Little did I know, at the beginning of my freshman year, I learned that I got diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome 3 days before my 14th birthday. This completely devastated me, and I thought my dreams of being an attorney were over. After learning that Tourette's Syndrome is incurable, and I would most likely be dealing with it for the rest of my life, I just wanted to give up. My entire life, I was known as one of the smarter few. I had straight A's, and I loved to write. I went from being able to write college-level essays at a young age, to not even being able to turn in simple worksheets on time due to my tics. I constantly had to step out of class because of tic attacks, and I could never focus. My grades started to drop and I became so disappointed in myself to the point where I started to listen to the people who would make fun of my disability. Yet, I know my work isn't done. I still have the thought in the back of my mind that I have never seen a lawyer with Tourette's or that my tics will be disturbing in the courtroom and I may possibly lose a case. Yet, I will continue to strive to reach the goal of becoming one.

Divorced parents, racially mixed, and Tourette's Syndrome, are some of the things I deal with in my life on a daily basis and are what make me, well me. The word "complex" is a word well enough to define my life. From my parents getting divorced while I was at a young age and moving across the east coast, life started off pretty rocky. I got bullied throughout middle school for my weight, being different, and even being intellectually smarter. When I was in the seventh grade, I found my love of law through a civics class. From there on out, I decided I wanted to be a criminal law attorney. By the end of eighth grade, I was preparing to join the law academy at the high school I was entering, and to start taking concrete steps toward my future dreams. Little did I know, at the beginning of my freshman year, I got diagnosed with Tourettes Syndrome 3 days before my 14th birthday. Freshman year is already hard enough for anyone, but this devastated me. I went from being able to write college-level essays, to not even being able to turn in simple assignments on time due to my tics. I became extremely insecure from the words of others that I would hear on a daily basis. I thought my life and the goal of being a criminal law attorney had completely gone down the drain and I became severely depressed. I didn't tell anyone about my mental health because I was confused, as well as scared. One day I decided that I wasn't gonna let anything stop me. I found new ways to cope with my tics like stress relievers and medicine. I noticed that I can still do the things I love, and even find new things I love. I became so happy with myself, that I can't even count how many things I am active in at my current high school. Things such as a law and vet academy, FFA, mock trial team, Girl Scouts, poetry contests, student council, FBLA, youth in government, and softball. Not only am I active in these things, but I also excelled in them. Being the leading prosecutor on my mock trial team, the secretary of the junior student council, honorable mention in poetry, 1st place in showing livestock, a Greenhand degree in FFA, and my Agriculture Associate's degree. People tell me things like "A 15-year-old can't do all of this" or "it's too much" but yet, I'm loving every second of it. I am currently working towards becoming a certified paralegal, I raised my GPA to a 4.0, and I started dual enrollment college credit classes and I will graduate with over 40 college credits. I've volunteered and continue to do so at multiple big organizations over the past five years. I look back, and I even amaze myself with how much I accomplished in a year and how amazing everything I did was, especially at my age. I want to tell my story to the ones who were once in my shoes, who were scared, tired. Who don't think they can amount to anything, and let them know, it doesn't matter where you come from. If you get up every time you fail, anything is possible. I still have a lot to do and all my goals aren't reached yet, but I can say that I am happy in the place where I am now, compared to where I came from.

Divorced parents, racially mixed, and Tourette's Syndrome, are some of the things I deal with in my life on a daily basis and are what makes me, well me. The word "complex" is a word well enough to define my life. From my parents getting divorced while I was at a young age and moving across the east coast, life started off pretty rocky. I got bullied throughout middle school for my weight, being different, and even being intellectually smarter. My entire life, I was known to be one of the smarter few. I had straight A's and loved writing, which soon led to being a published author and getting awards later in life. When I was in the seventh grade, I found my love of law through a civics class. From there on out, I decided I wanted to be a criminal law attorney. By the end of eighth grade, I was preparing to join the law academy at the high school I was entering, and to start taking concrete steps toward my future dreams. Little did I know, at the beginning of my freshman year, I got diagnosed with Tourettes Syndrome 3 days before my 14th birthday. Freshman year is already hard enough for anyone, but this devastated me. I went from being able to write college-level essays, to not even being able to turn in simple assignments on time due to my tics. I became extremely insecure from the words of others that I would hear on a daily basis. I thought my life and the goal of being a criminal law attorney had completely gone down the drain and I became severely depressed. I didn't tell anyone about my mental health because I was confused, as well as scared. One day I decided that I wasn't gonna let anything stop me. I found new ways to cope with my tics like stress relievers and medicine. I noticed that I can still do the things I love, and even find new things I love. I became so happy with myself, that I can't even count how many things I am active in at my current high school. Things such as a law and vet academy, FFA, mock trial team, Girl Scouts, poetry contests, student council, FBLA, youth in government, and softball. Not only am I active in these things, but I also excelled in them. Being the leading prosecutor on my mock trial team, the secretary of the junior student council, honorable mention in poetry, 1st place in showing livestock, a Greenhand degree in FFA, and my Agriculture Associate's degree. People still tell me things like "A 15-year-old can't do all of this" or "it's too much" but yet, I'm loving every second of it. I am currently working towards becoming a certified paralegal, I raised my GPA to a 4.0, and I started dual enrollment college credit classes and I will graduate with over 40 college credits. I look back, and I even amaze myself with how much I accomplished in a year and how amazing everything I did was, especially at my age. This proves how much one can do when they believe anything is possible and work through the mental health they're struggling with and start believing they can accomplish anything they want. I still have a lot to do and all my goals aren't reached yet, but I can say that I am happy in the place where I am now, compared to where I came from.

Divorced parents, racially mixed, and Tourette's Syndrome, are some of the things I deal with in my life on a daily basis and are what make me, well me. The word "complex" is a word well enough to define my life. From my parents getting divorced while I was at a young age and moving across the east coast, life started off pretty rocky. I got bullied throughout middle school for my weight and being different. At the beginning of my freshman year, I got diagnosed with Tourettes Syndrome 3 days before my 14th birthday. Freshman year is already hard enough for anyone, but this devastated me. I went from being able to write college-level essays, to not even being able to turn in simple assignments on time due to my tics. I became extremely insecure from the words of others that I would hear on a daily basis. I thought my life had completely gone down the drain and I became severely depressed. I didn't tell anyone about my mental health because I was confused as well as scared. One day I decided that I wasn't gonna let anything stop me. I found new ways to cope with my tics like stress relievers and medicine. I noticed that I can still do the things I love, and even find new things I love. I became so happy with myself, that I can't even count how many things I am active in at my current high school. I want to help others who were once in my shoes by telling my story and letting them know it's okay. That no matter what happened, they can still live a happy life and have a bright future. The fight isn't over, and I want to be one of the few helping.

When I was in the seventh grade, I found my love of law through a civics class. From there on out, I decided I wanted to be a criminal law attorney. By the end of eighth grade, I was preparing to join the law academy at the high school I was entering, and to start taking concrete steps toward my future dreams. Little did I know, at the beginning of my freshman year, I got diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome 3 days before my 14th birthday. This completely devastated me, and I thought my dreams of being an attorney were over. After learning that Tourette's Syndrome is incurable, and I would most likely be dealing with it for the rest of my life, I just wanted to give up. My entire life, I was known as one of the smarter few. I had straight A's, and I loved to write. I went from being able to write college-level essays at a young age, to not even being able to turn in simple worksheets on time due to my tics. I constantly had to step out of class because of tic attacks, and I could never focus. My grades started to drop and I became so disappointed in myself to the point where I started to listen to the people who would make fun of my disability. Soon enough, I realized Tourette's Syndrome and people laughing weren't enough to make me lose all hope. I started to study harder and join more activities to the point where I can't even count how many clubs I'm active in. I joined almost 10 activities and clubs and some even to help me on my path to law. A few are mock trial, student council, FBLA, and youth in government. The best part was I even excelled in these clubs. My hard work eventually paid off when I became the leading prosecutor on my mock trial team and the junior class secretary. My GPA raised to a 4.0 and I started to take college credit classes and will graduate with over 40 college credits. I even continued my love of writing, and become a published author. I amaze myself every day when I look back and see how much I went through and where I am now. Yet, I know my work isn't done. I'm excited to see my future and hope that future is me as an attorney. I am truly motivated to pursue higher education, with all I have been through and with the knowledge knowing I can accomplish so much more. I want to be able to sit in a lecture hall and just talk about law and cases for hours. I want to do the work and I want to go through that process of becoming an attorney, so much so, that I would give anything to be accepted to law school. I still have the thought in the back of my mind that I have never seen a lawyer with Tourette's or that my tics will be disturbing in the courtroom and I may possibly lose a case. Yet, I will continue to strive to reach the goal of becoming one and winning a case once I do so

My life wasn't always like this, but it will continue to be so. When I was in seventh grade, I found my love of law through a civics class. From there on out, I decided I wanted to be a criminal law attorney. By the end of eighth grade, I was preparing to join the law academy at the high school I was entering, and to start taking concrete steps toward my future dreams. Little did I know, at the beginning of my freshman year, I got diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome 3 days before my 14th birthday. This completely devastated me, and I thought my dreams of being an attorney were over. After learning that Tourette's Syndrome is incurable, and I would most likely be dealing with it for the rest of my life, I just wanted to give up. My entire life, I was known as one of the smarter few. I had straight A's, and I loved to write. I went from being able to write college-level essays at a young age, to not even being able to turn in simple worksheets on time due to my tics. I constantly had to step out of class because of tic attacks, and I could never focus. My grades started to drop and I became so disappointed in myself to the point where I started to listen to the people who would make fun of my disability. Soon enough, I realized Tourette's Syndrome and people laughing weren't enough to make me lose all hope. I started to study harder and join more activities to the point where I can't even count how many clubs I'm active in. I joined almost 10 activities and clubs and some even to help me on my path to law. A few are mock trial, student council, FBLA, and youth in government. The best part was I even excelled in these clubs. My hard work eventually paid off when I became the leading prosecutor on my mock trial team and the junior class secretary. My GPA raised to a 4.0 and I started to take college credit classes and will graduate with over 40 college credits. I even continued my love of writing, and become a published author. I amaze myself every day when I look back and see how much I went through and where I am now. Yet, I know my work isn't done. I'm excited to see my future and hope that future is me as an attorney. I am truly motivated to pursue higher education, with all I have been through and with the knowledge knowing I can accomplish so much more. I want to be able to sit in a lecture hall and just talk about law and cases for hours. I want to do the work and I want to go through that process of becoming an attorney, so much so, that I would give anything to be accepted to law school. I still have the thought in the back of my mind that I have never seen a lawyer with Tourette's or that my tics will be disturbing in the courtroom and I may possibly lose a case. Yet, I will continue to strive to reach the goal of becoming one.

Divorced parents, racially mixed, Tourette's Syndrome, and being a year younger than my peers, are some of the things I deal with in my life on a daily basis and are what make me, well me. The word "complex" is a word well enough to define my life. From my parents getting divorced while I was at a young age and moving across the east coast, life started off pretty rocky. I got bullied throughout middle school for my weight, being different, and even being intellectually smarter. Covid hit in my eighth-grade year and it didn't get any easier from there. My entire life, I was known to be one of the smarter few. I had straight A's and loved writing, which soon led to being a published author and getting awards later in life. At the beginning of my freshman year, I got diagnosed with Tourettes Syndrome 3 days before my 14th birthday. Freshman year is already hard enough for anyone, but this devastated me. I went from being able to write college-level essays, to not even being able to turn in simple assignments on time due to my tics. I became extremely insecure from the words of others that I would hear on a daily basis. I thought my life and the goal of being a criminal law attorney had completely gone down the drain. Until, it didn't. One day I decided that I wasn't gonna let anything stop me. I found new ways to cope with my tics like stress relievers and medicine. I noticed that I can still do the things I love, and even find new things I love. I became so happy with myself, I can't even count how many things I am active in at my current high school. Things such as a law and vet academy, FFA, mock trial team, Girl Scouts, poetry contests, student council, FBLA, youth in government, and softball. Not only am I active in these things, but I also excelled in them. Being the leading prosecutor on my mock trial team, the secretary of the junior student council, honorable mention in poetry, 1st place in showing livestock, a Greenhand degree in FFA, and my Agriculture Associate's degree. People still tell me things like "A 15-year-old can't do all of this" or "it's too much" but yet, I'm loving every second of it. I am currently working towards becoming a certified paralegal, I raised my GPA to a 4.0, and I started dual enrollment college credit classes and I will graduate with over 40 college credits. I look back, and I even amaze myself with how much I accomplished in a year and how amazing everything I did was, especially at my age. This proves how much one can do when they believe anything is possible and work through their insecurities and start believing they can accomplish anything they want. I love giving back to the community and telling my story to show the people who were once in my old shoes, that anything can be possible, even for them. I still have a lot to do and all my goals aren't reached yet, but I can say that I am happy in the place where I am now, compared to where I came from. I've helped numerous people achieve their goals and even help people create some of their own goals. Seeing the smile on their face once they get an award or all their hard work paid off, is a once in a lifetime moment that I will never forget.