I visited Antelope Canyon in northern Arizona a few years ago. It is a beautiful red rock slot canyon that was carved out by water alone. The smooth walls and the winding nature of the unique canyon, all formed by torrents of rain causing flooding and streams of water. The canyon would not be such a popular place with thousands of tourists coming from all over the world every day to see its beauty if it hadn't endured some hardship that changed it from solid ground to a winding kaleidoscope of light coming down filtered through its curves and colors. Each person is a little like that rock canyon, but we all go through different types and different amounts of hardships. We have a choice in the way we allow them to shape us, but shape us they will. I for one was shaped by my family's financial situation, moving away from home, and the rigorous programs I participated in in school. When I was growing up, I knew from an early age that scholarships were the only way I could pay my way through college if I even decided to go. My older sister had not attended college by choice, but I wasn't really sure how my parents would be able to help me at all with the cost of attendance when they had 5 children in total, and my twin brother and I would be attending starting the same year. In my junior year of high school, I started putting in the work to earn scholarships so that I could attend college, and in doing this I learned that hard work pays off because I received the most scholarships out of anyone in my class and had my tuition paid for for the first 4 semesters of school. I also worked part-time during school to pay for gas and other expenses. When I had finished my prerequisite courses and depleted my scholarship funds, I applied to the Dental Hygiene program at Phoenix College and was placed on their year-and-a-half waitlist. During this time, I got married and moved away from the only home I had ever known to an entirely new state. Here, I dealt with a new kind of hardship. I faced my first real anxiety and depression when I moved away from home. I felt so alone despite my husband's support. I lost a lot of confidence in social situations and suffered my first of many panic attacks that year. It put a lot of stress on our relationship, but he stuck with me through it. Slowly, I began to make friends in this new place, still suffering from extreme social anxiety and low confidence. Despite this, I decided to apply to the Tulsa Community College Dental Hygiene program. When I applied, I wasn't sure if I could get in on my first try due to the competitive nature of the program. Here, there was no waitlist; the best candidates would be accepted every year. However, after applying, I made it to the interview process and rejoiced when I saw the acceptance letter. Since then, I have grown as a person. I have learned that hard work is necessary for anything you want to achieve. I have learned that I can do hard things despite my circumstances and feelings. I have also learned a lot of skills in the rigorous program such as study skills and time and stress management. These are a few of the major things that have shaped who I am as an individual.

Perseverance pays off, or at least that's what I had to tell myself over and over again when I continued to apply to Dental Hygiene programs. From my first ride through the mountains of Guatemala to deliver dental care to a small village, I knew that I wanted to finish my degree and continue this kind of work in my local community as well as my global community. I live for the adventure of new experiences, and I love to meet new people along the way. Dental Hygiene is a career with many opportunities for public service, and this was a big reason I wanted to continue in this career. However, the Dental Hygiene programs where I lived in Arizona had long wait lists, so I knew in the least I would need a lot of patience. As I was completing my prerequisite classes, I was involved in a car accident that totaled my car and left me with a concussion and depression. I struggled to maintain my drive to do well in school, and I'm thankful now for professors who were very understanding and supportive along the way. Somehow, I worked through the cloudiness in my head and the depression and walked out on the other side. It took a long time for me to feel like myself again. Soon after, I met my now husband, and we married and moved to Oklahoma while I was still on the wait list in Phoenix, Arizona. I couldn't believe I'd have to start all over again, but I was grateful to find out that the Tulsa Community College Dental Hygiene program was not a wait list, but a competitive program. For me, this was a good thing because I knew that I could work hard to make it happen even if not on the first try, so I started putting in the work. I started completing additional prerequisite courses at Tulsa Community College and working on my application to their program. I also started looking for a job as a dental assistant and retook my ACT and scored higher than I had originally. I eventually landed a job as a dental assistant at an office that was willing to train me since I had no experience. Things were looking up, but I could only hope to get in on my first try. As a part of the application process, I made it to the interviews. I sat uncomfortably on Zoom waiting for the director and instructors to check in. It was 2021, and covid-19 had changed the way everything was done. I could only hope this would be to my benefit. Almost miraculously, I made it into the TCC Dental Hygiene program on my first attempt. Since then, I have been working hard to maintain my grades in this rigorous program while treating patients and taking various difficult classes. This year, I will be taking my National and State Boards. It has taken a lot to get to where I am now, and I'm proud to be so close to my goals. I still have a lot of work to do to become the kind of hygienist I want to be. It goes beyond treating patients. I want to continue to volunteer at our local Catholic Charities organization as I have throughout hygiene school, and I hope to help coordinate volunteer efforts in our local community as well as globally in countries where dental hygiene is not a regular therapy. If there's anything I've learned, it's that hard work and dedication can take you places you never thought you would be.

As someone who has always been into health and fitness, I'm surprised how long it has taken me to start tracking my macros. I grew up in a family who struggled a bit with physical health, and I always wanted my body to be strong and able to accomplish hard things. I started running 5 miles a day, 3 days a week when I stared college, and I found I really needed foods that supported me to complete my goals, and I was surprised at how much better I felt even mentally when I ate superfoods, my greens, my grains, and my proteins. After I got married, I started getting more and more into weightlifting as this was something my husband does. Even more so now, I have found that fueling my body is so important. Because of the amount of work and the strength required from my body, I need superfoods that not only keep my body strong but also support my mind in its determination to meet my goals. Recently, I have stared tracking my macronutrients to help me gain muscle, and I have been so surprised at how good I feel mentally as well. Tracking these just helps me know that I am eating more healthily while also not restricting myself or punishing myself. It helps me understand what more I can do to help myself achieve my goals for the day and superfoods are the most helpful in accomplishing what I want to see from myself each day.

So many people really love their hygienist. It seems like such a strange thing, but patients spend a lot of time with the hygienist when they come to the dentist's office and talk about many parts of life as they sit in the chair getting their teeth cleaned. I want to be a hygienist like that for my patients while also making sure to thoroughly educate them on how to better or maintain their oral health. Already as a dental assistant, I have comforted those with anxiety, those in pain, and even those suffering recent loss. Many people are so uncomfortable or even afraid at the dentist office, and I want to be a part of changing that by educating them on their oral health and supporting them through their difficulties. My parents are my true heroes, as I have always seen them work hard to meet their goals. Not only have they always cared for me and my siblings, going above and beyond to encourage us to succeed, but they have also motivated themselves to be the best they could be. This is the kind of person I want to be, having my own internal motivation and also encouraging those around me to succeed as well. If I could change one thing about the world, I would encourage more open communication, especially between those who disagree. Many times, if a solution cannot be found that satisfies both sides of an issue, open communication can help us find a compromise. Also, once both sides are able to see each other as people and understand the reasons behind their thoughts and convictions, there comes more and more love for each other and empathy for the differences.

I always wanted to attend college. Both of my parents had attended a bit of college but never achieved a degree. My twin brother and I would be the first in our family to attend college, and he graduated well before I will with a Master's degree in agricultural education. I feel like there have been so many obstacles in my way since I started by college journey. I decided out of high school that I wanted a degree in Dental Hygiene since I had always been interested in healthcare and I love the science behind this particular degree. However, it is a difficult program to get into between difficult prerequisite courses like microbiology and organic chemistry and the strenuous application process that involves a 3.5 GPA and competitive interviewing. Through difficult classes, moving to Oklahoma, finishing new prerequisites, and continuing to apply and prepare for the program, there has only been one thing I can say I have excelled at: determination. I have remained determined to excel and if I failed to try again. I put in the hard work to maintain my GPA at a 3.8 through difficult course loads, honors classes that I took to keep my scholarship, and a busy schedule outside of class. When I moved from Phoenix to the Tulsa area, I immediately searched for the best hygiene programs in the area and painstakingly retook and completed several more prerequisites for the Tulsa Community College Dental Hygiene Program. I looked for a dental assisting job during the pandemic to help better my application and retook the ACT to better my score. Finally, I applied, and I tried not to get my hopes up. Even when I made it to the interview process with 19 others, I still decided I had to be just as determined when I reapplied the following year. After all, how many people make it in on their first attempt? I guess I was one of the few because I got accepted thanks in no small way to the encouragement of others as well as my own determination to be the best applicant I could be. I have started studying in the Tulsa Community College Dental Hygiene program as 1 out of 13 students accepted in the year 2021. I hope to develop my skills after I graduate to really cater to my patients as individuals and aid them in their overall health. I also have a strong desire to use my skills as a volunteer in local as well as international humanitarian efforts. I have already attended a trip to Guatemala with a group called Smiles for Life in 2016. This trip is what really cemented what kind of impact I could make on the world as a dental hygienist and solidified my desire to work in this industry. I can't wait to do much more of this kind of work in the future. One thing I would like to change in my field is well written research. Often, scientific research is difficult to read, not only because of the technical terms but also because many scientifically minded individuals have not been educated on good communication. As someone who enjoys well written work as well as education, I would like to be a part of research projects that are written so that many people could understand them. I would also like to be a part of a change in communication with patients so that they truly understand the state of their oral health, the impact of this on their overall health, and how they can make those changes for themselves. In myself, I would like to become a more confident leader. While I have much confidence in my own ideas, I often lack confidence in myself as a leader and in sharing those ideas. I hope to become more confident in my skills and thus, more confident in myself as a leader. I am willing to go the extra mile to make sure my patient understands what I am trying to explain to them however they learn best. I am also willing to research and create pamphlets and workshops for hygienists to help them better communicate with their patients through organizations such as the ADHA. Overall, I am a very driven and determined individual. I always want to be bettering myself and striving to my next goal. I think this is my most valuable skill and what will make me a valuable professional in the healthcare world.

I was listening to a podcast when I heard to idea that, "Everyone knows something you don't." Every person you come into contact with in your life knows at least one thing that you don't know. Listening to everyone and learning from what they have to say can impact the way you live your life. If you can learn at least one thing from each person you come into contact with, you have gathered not only a large amount of information but also a variety of it. As simple as the idea sounds, it isn't really something we all practice in our daily lives. How many people do you take interest in learning from every day? Just the people you think are smarter than you? How about just the people that you like? How about just the people that hold the same world view that you do? It's interesting because even a small child has something to share that I can learn from. I might think I know a lot more than they do about the world, but it's true that because they are a different being from me, they will still know at least one thing that I don't. I can learn from that. Even the people that we don't like can have something valuable to say. Perhaps they even have an observation about something you can improve in yourself. Even more than these, the people we have to most to learn from are probably those with different viewpoints than our own. If we really want to be the best that we can be, we need to gather all the information that we can and learn from it. We can become smarter, better people if we are willing to listen to what those around us have to say.

I have always enjoyed talking to the elderly and really taking the time to hear what they have to say. It seems like many of them have so much to say, from life experience to the funny joke they know. It also seems like many of them don't get a chance to share all that often. I am currently a dental assistant. I work with patients of all ages, but I often work with the elderly adjusting their dentures, getting them fitted for their first set of dentures, or simply helping them maintain the teeth they still have. It is a difficult thing to see that they often feel overlooked and unheard in their concerns and opinions. I strive every day to make my patients feel heard and cared for. The hardest part of my job is often talking to patients who are getting dentures for the first time. It is a major life change that they may or may not be prepared for. While it is often so beneficial to the patient, it can be a difficult decision for them to face. Worse yet is when they don't understand how difficult this process will be, but I love getting to tell them that we will be there to help them through the transition and to actually hold true to that when they return for adjustments and with different problems that I can help them solve. Often, when a patient comes in, I am talking to them, not only about their concerns but also about what they did that day, their grandchildren, or even that joke they know that I've never heard before. I enjoy being a part of their day as well as a part of their healthcare.

I'm one of many young people who has struggled with mental health. Throughout the past few years, I have struggled with depression and anxiety. It seemed like when one was gone, the other came to take it's place, and I was constantly up and down in my health. I have learned to manage both issues, and I do not struggle with them as I once did. I found things that helped my anxiety, and I slowly healed from my depression. My experience overcoming anxiety and depression has driven me to succeed in the field of healthcare, be more compassionate towards others, and helped me understand what others may be facing. It seems strange that two disorders that are known for the drowsiness and sometimes lack of productivity they bring could be motivating. However, I have found that in pushing myself to do more with my life, there is less room for me to dwell in the things that bring me deeper into the thoughts and actions that fuel anxiety and depression. For me, it has helped to push myself to do things that will be beneficial to my health. To start with, it was sometimes just cleaning my room or going outside, but now it's become a life motivation. I push myself just beyond what I think I can do, and I can usually do so much more than I thought I could. Life has become more than I imagined, and with the symptoms lessening, I have maintained this attitude to help me stay driven. In my own relationships, I have learned to be compassionate and to empathize with those around me. Many people are living in the same state I was in at my worst without any signs to the outside world. When a friend doesn't react the way I would like or reach out to me like I think they should, I have learned to be more understanding of things they might be facing. I have even been able to connect with a friend over an experience she was having and make her feel more normal as it was something she'd never faced before. Even in the workplace and at school, my past experiences have helped me be more understanding of patients. I've come into contact with patients facing severe anxiety, and I've often been able to talk to them in a more calming and relatable way due to my experiences. One patient and I talked through grounding exercises to help with the anxiety he was feeling. Another patient cried as I listened to the hardships she was facing. I am a more empathetic clinician because of the things I have learned. No one wants to face anxiety or depression, but I wouldn't change anything about who I am. It's not something I desire to experience, but these obstacles have pushed me to become a better individual, friend, and health care professional. Life becomes more through the things we face.

There are spectacular sunsets that you'll never forget, but the sun rises every day whether you think about it or not. Whether you notice the sun shining down or the fact that it's breaking through the clouds or not, it doesn't change the way that it rises tirelessly, day after day. That's the kind of friend I want to be. You don't always notice, but I'm always there, warming the day with sunlight or dulling myself when you need to cry. I just strive to be that constant friend. I live miles from my best friends, but we find ways to stay in contact. I send a voice message when we can't call and a text when we can't send a recording. However, most importantly when we get the chance to see each other, I put in all the effort. Better yet, nothing of our friendship is ever lost between these sweet times. We have the ability to pick yo where we left off every time. It's just consistency and carrying love for them whether we've been around each other or not. Sometimes you can just be constant, but other times you have to be spectacular and go above and beyond. When my husband's family suffered a horrible tragedy while we were dating, I flew out to be with them through funerals and weeks of grief. I made breakfast when they didn't have the energy, held them tightly while they cried, and held their hand while they tried to hold it together. It's one of the things that has made our relationship so strong. We weathered the storm together. You may not always have the words to say, but to put in the effort and to be there when it counts is the truest form of friendship.

How did this happen? That's the question I keep asking myself this first semester of dental hygiene school. Last year, school was only a possibility, and I was working at a restaurant when the pandemic shut it down. In the past year, I went from working for close to minimum wage in a small restaurant to getting into a highly competitive program. I had applied to be a dental assistant before with no luck. I decided to work on my resume during the pandemic and applied everywhere. As I headed back to work at the restaurant last fall, I was ready to give up on the dental assisting job when I finally received a call for an interview. Soon after, I was informed that I had landed the job with zero experience. It was overwhelming at times, but it was worth it! Then, I applied to the competitive dental hygiene program at TCC. I was astonished that I was one of the chosen 14 students, and after interviewing, I got in! So, here I am today, back in school, stressing over every test but so ready for it to all be worth it. That's what a pandemic did for me.

"I like the pink!" I said, "Or blue, blue is fine... I don't see any pink on top." Still, she kept digging through the freezer trying to find me a pink otter pop. She smiled when she pulled one from the bottom of the box and handed it to me. I smiled back, and my heart kind of melted as she handed me the cold treat. I didn't have many friends that wouldn't take the easy way out, but then there was my friend, Hannah. My brother buys me my favorite ice cream when I come home to visit. He doesn't even ask if I want it, and he won't let anyone else eat it. My best friend Katie saw me come into a party from my car. She hugged me and didn't let me sit alone the whole time. She could see it in my eyes, but I'm sure she didn't know. She didn't know that I had already been at the party and had walked back to my car contemplating leaving. Still, she could tell I was struggling; maybe she even knew I was having social anxiety. She could always calm it even before I called her my best friend. She never left me out or made me feel like the other girls would: like I could do one thing wrong and be the outcast. It's never been the big things that really got me. It was the small consistencies that made me sure. The little things that said "I care" were the things I held onto when I wasn't really very sure of myself or who my friends were. Comfort, thoughtfulness, and consistency will always mean friendship to me, but these stories are the best way I can describe the truest form of the word "friendship".

I love school! Said no one ever... Except that I've learned that I really do love to learn! I never thought I'd actually attend college. I couldn't fathom even affording the tuition. Somehow, I got enough scholarships my senior year of high school to get into a local community college. It was one of my professors there at Phoenix College that made me realize I loved taking classes and being involved. She asked, "If classes were free and there was no pressure of grades or finances, how many of you would be here of your own will?" I realized then and there that I would be one of the "nerds" that would still attend every class that I could. It's not so much that I just enjoy learning, but higher education has changed who I am and even how I think about things. It has introduced me to people I might never have met and caused me to have conversations on topics I never would have discussed outside of the classroom. I have become more of a thinker and consider more and more the implications of things rather that the meaning of the thing itself. That may sound rather philosophical, but just think of how a person may say something that means one thing but when you consider their background or point of view, you find it means something different entirely, maybe something more so about them than the topic at hand. I value the insight that higher education has offered me. At my new college, I've applied to be part of the honors program as well as part of a program full of first generation college students. I've always enjoyed my honors courses and activities through my old college and would love to be a part of that again. Also, I never knew that there were so many other first generation college students dealing with the same struggles I did. Through the dental hygiene program I'm involved in, we have several volunteer opportunities, and I'm hoping after the pandemic I'll be able to travel as a volunteer again. These kind of experiences are by far some of my favorites. In Guatemala, when I went with a group of dental volunteers, we were so immersed in the culture because of the nature of our visit. We really got to talk to the locals and enjoy their lifestyle because we were going out among them rather than staying in a fancy hotel and sightseeing. My favorite part was seeing the smiles and the lives the people lived up in the mountain village we visited. This is the number one thing I will always be passionate about: helping those around me wherever I am. Whether it's volunteering abroad or the patients I currently serve as a dental assistant, I want to be of service to those around me. That's what drew me to the field of healthcare and how I know that this is where I want to be. I'll never lose my love for travel, so I forsee myself taking many more volunteer trips out of the country as well, but never want to limit myself to something seemingly grand and extravagant when I can put my talents to use wherever I may be.

I really didn't think I'd ever go to college. Even when I applied to several schools I remember thinking to myself there was no way I'd ever actually be able to attend because there was no way I could afford it. My senior year of high school I applied for several scholarships, but May was coming up so quickly. May meant graduation and college. How was I going to be able to have the money by August? To my surprise, on senior awards night I received the most scholarships.The biggest scholarship being paid tuition to any community college if I joined the honors program. With this scholarship and a few smaller ones, I made it through all of my prerequisite courses while I worked to earn the money I needed for transportation and food while I lived at home. Now, I have been accepted into a highly competitive Dental Hygiene program at Tulsa Community College, and that same anxiety has returned. I don't really know how I'm going to do this, but I'm determined that it's going to work. I've made it this far; I've only got 2 more years to go! The tuition is one thing, but I no longer live with my parents, and instrument kits, loupes, and supplies for clinic are expensive especially since the pandemic. I've just got a little longer to hold on, and I'm hoping somehow I'll be able to do it again. That first leap into college was for sure a leap of faith, but at that point I wasn't even certain I wanted to go and had no idea the opportunities I had just being a graduating high school senior. This time is a real leap of faith. All I know is to just keep going and to keep trying. I've got to get to my goal some way, somehow. I flew the first time, but it's time to take it all the way!

Ms. Dye was the teacher that didn't demand your respect with words but rather with her actions. She wasn't the kind of teacher who did nothing to earn your respect while simply expecting it; she worked for our respect and respected us as students. Ms. Dye was my high school science teacher. I took 3 classes with her, and her class never felt like a chore. She was a biologist who traveled and did studies in different countries, and she is one of the most intelligent people I know. She was a role model to me, and I still think of her from time to time as the kind of woman I would like to be like. From her I learned to persevere in knowledge, and because of this I have persevered in my college career despite every challenge and hope to pay in forward some day. On the first day of class, I knew she was going to be a great teacher. She answered every single question her freshman class threw at her, and when she didn't know the answer she said she would find out. I did not expect her to come back the next day having found the answers to every unanswered question from the day before. No question was too small, too weird, too silly to be answered by her, and I admired how much she wanted to grow our curiosity and help us continue learning. She also helped us study for tests, offering study sessions the day before a test and helping us truly understand the answers before sending us off on our own. You never felt bad for not knowing something in her class. She was always willing to help you learn it. She felt that if the majority of the class hadn't learned the lesson, it was not us that failed but herself. She would reteach anything she felt we had not fully grasped. Even when she left right before our senior year, she handwrote each of us little notes. It was special to me how much she thought of each of us, and how much she cared to encourage us to continue learning. After high school, I faced the challenge of applying to college as a first generation college student. My parents learned right beside me many lessons on applying to college as well as affording it. In order to persevere in my academic career, I applied for scholarships an the honors program in order to pay for tuition. I also worked part time while I attended college full time to afford books, food, and gas. Even after applying to the dental hygiene program in Phoenix, I ended up moving to Oklahoma, and I decided that I would not give up on my academic and career goals. Thus, I applied to Tulsa Community College an reapplied myself to get even better grades in additional prerequisites to better my chances of getting into the competitive program. I have learned recently something she always reinforced in her class: "You can do more than you think you are capable of." Lately, I've been learning that I am always capable of more than I imagine. I applied for a dental assisting job I was not qualified for, I got into a highly competitive Dental Hygiene program at TCC, and I received a promotion at work to personally assist one dentist until I leave for hygiene school, all things I never would have imagined I could accomplish. In whatever way possible, I want to motivate others to pursue knowledge relentlessly just as Ms. Dye did for me.

I want to be used where I am. It's a simple statement, but it's all I want for my life. Of course I have personal goals and things I'd like to achieve, but I don't believe I need to reach a certain level to be useful or helpful. I believe that each and every day we have the opportunity to reach out to those around us and help them along the way. I am excited to share my beliefs and passions with the world and to encourage others by reaching out wherever I see opportunity. The first thing you should know about me is that I am a Christian. I believe in God, and I believe He has a plan for my life. People can say what they may, but this basis of belief has given me a passion in life that I wouldn't trade for anything. No matter what you believe, we all impact one another's lives by how we live and how we treat one another. Personally, I believe that God has gifted each of us with different talents to use to edify those around us. Whether it's singing in church to encourage others or lifting up the needy in soulful prayer, even the small things can be useful to the ones we are surrounded by, and I am excited to be used by Him. I see so much opportunity to encourage others in this world. At home, I am a dental assistant studying to be a dental hygienist, and I often see patients with severe dental anxiety or extreme embarrassment at the state of their oral health. It is a simple job, and it could be done with little care for what the patient is experiencing, but I can't help but see myself in their shoes. I've experienced anxiety attacks myself, and I know that it seems like there is very little you can do to control your spiraling mind and emotions. Finding small ways to help them get through a procedure is a rewarding experience. I had a man come in who told me he was suffering with severe anxiety before having a tooth pulled. We started talking about anxiety and grounding exercises and how he could feel more in control of the situation. Then, he told me that simply talking to me had already eased so much of his anxiety. These patients with special needs rarely need more than a listening ear or a patient reply to feel much more at ease in a difficult setting. Even when I visited Guatemala, far from home, as a volunteer with a dental group, it was playing ball with a crying young boy to cheer him up while his mother got the care she needed that was the biggest thing I did that day. It is the small things we can do that are often the most rewarding. I don't have a lot of money or even words of wisdom to give to those around me, but I can always give of my time and my listening ear. I plan to continue to take advantage of opportunities as a dental hygienist and just as a Christian to be there when people need me. I may not always be the best person for the job, but my goal is to always be there and to be willing. I simply want to be of use wherever life may take me, and I am excited to find new ways to be that person. Whether it is traveling on volunteer trips to other countries, volunteering in local clinics, or doing something totally out of my career path, I want to make myself available to be in the right place at the right time.

Ding ding! At a moment's notice your attention is drawn away from all else. Who messaged you? How many people have liked your post? What's new on your favorite app? Our smartphones can consume us like nothing else. How many times have you looked up from your phone, surprised at how much time had passed or found yourself falling down the YouTube rabbit hole? Every bit of communication, information, and entertainment is at your fingertips just seconds away at your command. I've had a smartphone ever since high school; it has been a tool I use daily, but as every tool, it must be used with care. Many people in my generation have had a smartphone for most of their life. While we can recall the time of dial up internet and land lines, we have about as much experience with these archaic ideas as we do the prehistoric wheel. We understand the idea in theory, but have no experience with such things. I have had a smartphone of my own since I started high school, and understanding the technology and mechanisms is second nature to me. It is hard for many in my own generation and, even more so, the following generations to understand how anyone could struggle with what seems to be an innate ability to navigate any given smartphone. We are simply so used to the technology we grew up with. As with any technological advances, smartphones are a manmade tool meant to make life easier. Personally, I use mine to help with schoolwork wherever I may be, to contact my long distance family, and even every day tasks like picking up groceries. Most of us would be lost without Google Maps, and I mean that very literally. Even social media is a tool. Humans have always been social, and Facebook and Instagram only serve to make being social and being heard that much easier. It has become a tool of commerce, entrepreneurship, and even courtship. Have these tools been overused? Of course; much like many of us overuse our vehicles to drive places we could easily walk. At times it seems ridiculous the things we can do with our phones, but I must maintain that smartphones are a tool even if they are often misused and overused. Behind the wheel, the smartphone can become a very dangerous tool. While it is useful to navigate and to communicate, both essential while travelling, its tendency to draw immediate attention can have a devastating result. Your phone sounding as you drive grabs your attention without giving you a second to consider what you are doing. The sound tells you to habitually glance at the screen instead of the road, and I am as susceptible to that as anyone. I often must remind myself to wait for a safe time to check my phone, even the navigation. A split second is all it takes. When I was 18, I totaled my first car. It wasn't my phone, but it was a second's glance away from the road that caused me to rear-end another vehicle at high speed. Seconds later, there wasn't anything I would do to have that second's notice of the sudden braking traffic ahead. The many campaigns against texting while driving are warranted because the sudden demand for attention is all it takes to cause pain, destruction, and guilt. Believe me when I say a moment's notice is worth so much. While the smartphone has become so useful in our society, it is conclusively unsafe while driving. Give yourself a moment's notice, and turn off the ding!

As a healthcare professional, the biggest change I would like to see is openness. Every day I encounter patients who are ashamed of their lifestyle choices. Working in a dental office, I often hear comments about how awful their smile is or how ashamed they are that it's been so long since they've been into the dentist office. It seems they all know and want to do better for themselves. However, many of our patients are surprised to learn that they've been doing it wrong all this time. We already know there is a lack of education about the proper way to care for your teeth. Many people become discouraged after brushing every day and finding that they still have cavities. Our patients are often horrified to hear that they haven't ever been taught to floss properly. Even more so, patients are inclined to give up on ever having good teeth when they learn that genetics can be a factor. Rather than learning the best ways to care for their teeth due to genetic or environmental disadvantages, I have heard so many people say that they are done with their teeth. Education is one thing, but we can never get to the point where we can educate our patients if we are not open with them. We must try to understand the struggle of a person with bad teeth coming to the dentist for the first time. We must have empathy for the drug addict who has turned their life around and is on their way to recovery. They often come in so worried about what we will judge them for, and many of them only need our encouragement. I have seen one positive word bring a patient to tears of gratefulness. As someone who has experienced this phenomenon both close to home and abroad, I can say that this is a worldwide issue. As a dental assistant and a dental hygienist, I want to encourage people to get on the road to recovery by never shaming them for their past and helping educate them to make their future better. When educating, I want to be the teacher that never talks down to the patient but encourages them and believes that they can do better. We need more of this kind of outlook in dentistry and in healthcare in general. We need the kind of providers who want to believe in their patient and do what is best for them. In a real world application, I hope to be this way not only with my patients in the future but also by joining volunteer groups and being a part of an outreach where I can encourage those who I might not encounter otherwise. It is difficult for those that truly need this kind of encouragement to ever come to my place of work, and it is through these kind of programs that we meet those who are truly in need. It is not only the act of kindness that comes with doing the service but the smile that you do it with and the kindness and care you show these individuals that will help put them on a better path. I don't just want to help people have better teeth; I want to give them a reason to smile.

There is a purpose in loving the unlovable. It lies in the fact that they are not in fact unlovable. I remember feeling this way: unloved, unlovable. I was broken, so my edges were sharp, and it hurt me too, like a broken piece being dropped again and again because it was too sharp to hold onto. I had to find a way to love myself, to dull those sharp edges, to round them out. I wanted to be brand new, and over time I found a way to love myself as I was and change the things I could. I still struggle with this every day, but the thing that helps me most is showing love to others, loving those who cannot love themselves. Tell me, how do you behave when you feel hurt, broken, unloved? Don't we act out on the way we are treated? Tell me you've never pushed someone away when you were longing for their love. Tell me you didn't wish they'd gather all of you up, all your fear, doubt, hatred into a golden embrace. Have you ever felt the way love melts those icy things away? Broken glass isn't pretty; it's sharp and painful. Still, you must gather it again to make a whole. Someone has to do the gathering. Be one who binds their brokenness with the love God has given you rather than joining the crowds that resent the broken pieces. Don't step around the shards of pain. Once I grew into loving myself, I chose to be a gatherer. A gatherer of broken things. Careful of the edges, yes, but more careful not to break them again. I'm learning still to bind them up, to be a part of the fixing. I hope that broken others can see from me that you don't even have to be whole to be a gatherer because we all need a little love and acceptance to warm our broken pieces back together again. This is an ideology I do my best to share with others in the way that I behave in any given relationship. It is the belief and understanding that people act out on how they feel that allows me to extend more grace toward others in my life. We, as humans, need so much grace and much more we need to give it out. I am not perfect, and I should accept that others don't have to be perfect either. I believe this makes for much stronger relationships. We can accept that our friends and our families have flaws all while encouraging them and helping them to improve. We can forgive and help each other improve. These are the kinds of relationships I want to nurture in my life. Beyond the way my experience with depression and anxiety has affected my relationships with others, it has also made me a motivated person. There was a time when I couldn't see much for my future. I still struggle to believe in myself and to see what I can truly accomplish, but I've learned that the things that I just can't see for myself can become realities. I never saw myself being loved the way I am by the man that I married. I never saw myself moving away from all I had ever known to live in a different state. I never saw myself applying for a job I was underqualified for and being promoted after only 6 months of training. I never saw myself finishing my prerequisites and getting into a competitive college program after only applying once. It makes me wonder what more I could reach for in this life. When I started applying for college I decided to tell everyone I was going for a career in dental hygiene simply because there had to be something to say. I was interested in science and good at school, but I never had that kind of confidence in myself that I truly thought I could get into any competitive program. I ended up with the opportunity to travel to Guatemala as part of a dental volunteer group, and it was there that I learned how much the dental field is about helping others. Today, as a dental assistant, I calm peoples nerves every day just as I did in Guatemala. This August, I will finally start studying at TCC as 1 of 14 dental hygiene students who will graduate in 2023, and I can't wait to start working with patients. I have come to realize that in this field there are many opportunities for me to be a gatherer of broken pieces. Whether it's talking someone through a difficult process, helping restore people's smiles, or the volunteer opportunities that come along with such a career, I've found a field in which I can spread the beliefs I have come to through my own struggles with mental illness. This is how my own struggles become something positive, and this is how I can change that struggle for others.

Ms. Dye was the teacher that didn't demand your respect with words but rather with her actions. She wasn't the kind of teacher who did nothing to earn your respect while simply expecting it; she worked for our respect and respected us as students. Ms. Dye was my high school science teacher. I took 3 classes with her, and her class never felt like a chore. She was a biologist who traveled and did studies in different countries, and she is one of the most intelligent people I know. She was a role model to me, and I still think of her from time to time as the kind of woman I would like to be like. From her I learned to persevere in knowledge, and because of this I have persevered in my college career despite every challenge and hope to pay in forward someday. On the first day of class, I knew she was going to be a great teacher. She answered every single question her freshman class threw at her, and when she didn't know the answer she said she would find out. I did not expect her to come back the next day having found the answers to every unanswered question from the day before. No question was too small, too weird, too silly to be answered by her, and I admired how much she wanted to grow our curiosity and help us continue learning. She also helped us study for tests, offering study sessions the day before a test and helping us truly understand the answers before sending us off on our own. You never felt bad for not knowing something in her class. She was always willing to help you learn it. She felt that if the majority of the class hadn't learned the lesson, it was not us that failed but herself. She would reteach anything she felt we had not fully grasped. Even when she left right before our senior year, she handwrote each of us little notes. It was special to me how much she thought of each of us, and how much she cared to encourage us to continue learning. After high school, I faced the challenge of applying to college as a first generation college student. My parents learned right beside me many lessons on applying to college as well as affording it. In order to persevere in my academic career, I applied for scholarships an the honors program in order to pay for tuition. I also worked part time while I attended college full time to afford books, food, and gas. Even after applying to the dental hygiene program in Phoenix, I ended up moving to Oklahoma, and I decided that I would not give up on my academic and career goals. Thus, I applied to Tulsa Community College an reapplied myself to get even better grades in additional prerequisites to better my chances of getting into the competitive program. I have learned recently something she always reinforced in her class: "You can do more than you think you are capable of." In class, our assignments were not easy and when we were offered the chance to join the International Baccalaureate program, I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it. Ms. Dye was one of my teachers who encouraged me to move forward. She believed in my abilities more than I did. Lately, I've been learning that I am always capable of more than I imagine. I applied for a dental assisting job I was not qualified for, I got into a highly competitive Dental Hygiene program at TCC, and I even received a promotion at work to personally assist one of our owner doctors until I leave for hygiene school, all things I never would have imagined I could accomplish. In the future, I hope I can pay this motivation forward. I remember Ms. Dye and those that helped me along the way. I hope I can motivate people with my words to continue toward their "unachievable" goals. I hope to take on interns to share the knowledge I gain. I hope one day to pay it forward financially and help someone else continue their learning goals. I also have a passion for volunteer work, and this kind of work will put in the right place to meet those in need of this kind of motivation. In whatever way possible, I want to motivate others to pursue knowledge relentlessly just as Ms. Dye did for me.

There is a purpose in loving the unlovable. It lies in the fact that they are not in fact unlovable. I remember feeling this way: unloved, unlovable. I was broken, so my edges were sharp, and it hurt me too, like a broken piece being dropped again and again because it was too sharp to hold onto. I had to find a way to love myself, to dull those sharp edges, to round them out. I wanted to be brand new, and over time I found a way to love myself as I was and change the things I could. I still struggle with this every day, but the thing that helps me most is showing love to others, loving those who cannot love themselves. Tell me, how do you behave when you feel hurt, broken, unloved? Don't we act out on the way we are treated? Tell me you've never pushed someone away when you were longing for their love. Tell me you didn't wish they'd gather all of you up, all your fear, doubt, hatred into a golden embrace. Have you ever felt the way love melts those icy things away? Broken glass isn't pretty; it's sharp and painful. Still, you must gather it again to make a whole. Someone has to do the gathering. Be one who binds their brokenness with the love God has given you rather than joining the crowds that resent the broken pieces. Don't step around the shards of pain. Once I grew into loving myself, I chose to be a gatherer. A gatherer of broken things. Careful of the edges, yes, but more careful not to break them again. I'm learning still to bind them up, to be a part of the fixing. I hope that broken others can see from me that you don't even have to be whole to be a gatherer because we all need a little love and acceptance to warm our broken pieces back together again.

I grew up in a Christian household, but I was also taught that Christianity is a personal experience, a relationship. I was grateful for the nurturing background I grew up in and for being taught so early how to trust God. It hasn't always come easily to me, but putting my trust in Him has gotten me through so many hard times. Like many others, I've faced depression, anxiety, and just the simple stressors of life. I have always pressured myself to do so much and put the extra pressure on myself, and after I got into a bad car wreck I struggled with a thick cloud of depression, but all of this was simply to prepare me for the hardest trial I would face. When I married my husband, I moved away from everything I'd ever known. I had grown up so confident in myself and so settled in my surroundings, I was surprised when I was suddenly facing anxiety attacks and mood swings. For me this was the hardest trial I had ever faced because it was so overwhelming; it consumed my mind to the point that I questioned my sanity. Worse than that, I didn't know how to handle it or how to share it with anyone, so I felt isolated, even from my husband who did not understand the extent of what I was facing until after the fact when I was able to put it into words. I was struggling to feel like I had friends in this new place. I felt like I should be happy and energetic to start the rest of my life, but instead I was nervous and unsettled. The worst of it all was the anxiety attacks that I suffered with almost every night. I learned to ground myself out of them, but they still came consistently causing me to stay awake late into the night moving nervously and hyperventilating. It was debilitating, and I felt like there was something so wrong in my head. Finally, I heard my pastor preach about trusting in the Lord and not accepting what the devil has handed you. I decided then and there that I want going to allow the devil to rule in this area of my life anymore. The very same week, I laid in bed and felt my anxiety coming on. My legs were restless and my breathing was quick and shallow. I could feel it rising up in me, and I couldn't understand why it was coming back to plague me again, but this time instead of accepting it, I said no. This was not going to happen any longer. I put my mind to thinking about God instead. I started listing everything I was worried about: I'm all alone, but I can trust God to be with me; I don't have any friends, but I can trust God to be a constant friend; everything is overwhelming me, but I can trust God to carry me through. Since then, it's become an exercise for me to help put any shred of worry to rest. You could list out endless worries, but the answer is still the same: you can trust God. I'm here to tell you that I have not suffered with an anxiety attack since that night, and better yet, because of this experience I have learned to trust Him more. There's a real peace that comes over you when you decide to leave it in His hands. What can go wrong when you leave evey worry, every doubt, every fear in the hands of the Creator? He's creating everything you have need of before you ever reach that need. It's so sweet to trust in Jesus!

When I started dating the man I would eventually marry, I was intimidated by the fact that he was a bit of a gymaholic so to say. I had done a few fitness classes in college, and I have been health conscious, but it can be intimidating to date someone more fit than yourself. I was told so many times how men usually stop going after being married for a while, so I had nothing to worry about. What I didn't expect was that I would enjoy working out as well. It wasn't just the cardio like I'd done before, but I started to get more and more into using weights, bands, and gym equipment. With my husband's help, I was soon well equipped and confident when I stepped into the gym. I was going to the gym after work 3-4 times a week within 1 year of being married. Suddenly COVID hit, and the gym was closed. I had so much time on my hands as my work closed as well. Here I was with more time than ever and no where to work out. Thus, I set out to find a way to stay fit at home. I scrounged for my husband's 2 large weights that he kept for himself to use at home. They were perfect for my lower body work outs, but I needed to be more inventive for my upper body. For weights, I started using cans from the pantry and anything I could find that was heavy enough for a challenge. Still I needed more. Next, I found an app that offered free workouts with instructors. I started challenging myself with the at home, weightless workouts they had. It also had the ability to connect you with your friends to see what workouts they had done, so my competitive nature kicked in and really kept me going to be at the most workouts every single week. Even since going back to work, I have continued to use the tricks I learned during all my time off. Even though I also baked a little bread in quarantine as well, I was making more homemade, healthy meals and the frequency of my workouts was at an all time high. I felt great mentally and physically. Now, I knew I could do it! I've been working more hours than ever before, but I've still been working out around 4 times every week. It has helped keep me positive and get out negative energy. I notice that even when working out from home with the new weights I've purchased, I go back to work feeling more positive and invigorated. Working out for me has become a part of who I am as well as something I really enjoy. I feel more confident in my own abilities and more energetic in general. This is what fitness is about to me.

I wish you could see how depressed I am because it is embarrassing and exhausting to piece into words. I wish you wouldn't take so personally the reflection of my hurt. Truth is, it's not about you, how terrible I am. I am just not good enough, and it hurts, but when your accusing tone looks for answers, asking, "Why?", you only make me feel worse. In hiding it from you, I've hurt you once again, not realizing I'm lashing out. I'd take the hurt instead, but you never pursue the truth, only an explanation. So I make you believe I'm awful too, so you'll remind me if I forget. This is something I wrote when I was going through an episode of depression. I wrote it with my own mother in mind. I remember feeling like it was never enough for me to feel down or upset without a reason and so often I felt that she took it so personally. There are so many people going through so many different things in the world, we've been taught not to judge others for what happens on their bad days. Still, we too often forget that often the actions of others have less to say about how they feel about us than they do about how they feel about themselves. It's not just depression; there are many mental illnesses that cause people to act differently from how they would like. I remember feeling like I was trying to think through a fog and trying to move through mud. Our worlds don't all look the same. For me, having experienced depression and anxiety, I am more patient with others. I also feel more understanding toward people who may not seem easy to like. One thing I do my best to do is talk openly about the struggles that I have faced myself because in my current every day life, no one would know the struggles I have had. Perhaps if people can see someone "normal" and "high functioning" that has been through mental illness, they can be encouraged to face their own mental illness or to help those around them that struggle with a mental illness. My relationships with others have become deeper as I really want to understand others on the deeper level that I longed for back when I was struggling with my anxiety and depression. I have learned that what I see may be a reflection, not of physical circumstances, but of mental Everests that people are trying to overcome. Overall, my life has been so affected by these experiences with my own mental illness. I ended up pursuing a job in healthcare, and as a dental assistant, I currently help people with a range of anxieties. I've had to calm nerves and help patients to understand their own anxieties regarding dental procedures for the most part, and I've even had a conversation with another patient about grounding techniques. What you see from the windows doesn't always make sense, but when you can get a person to open up to you, you can start to understand the real "Why?". You'll find it's not always the "why" you expected.

I was finally accepted for interview! I have waited for today for years. I started working toward my degree in Dental Hygiene when I lived in Arizona and went on a volunteer trip to Guatemala with a group of dentists in order to see if this was really something I wanted to do with my life. I loved it! I started at a community college using the scholarships I had earned out of high school, and I had just applied to the Dental Hygiene program when I got married and moved to be with my husband in Oklahoma. In Arizona, it was a wait list program and I knew I would be waiting at least another year to get in, so I left in hopes of finding a more competitive program that I would not have to wait to get into. I started looking into programs here in Oklahoma, and I found that if I completed just a few additional prerequisites I could apply for the competitive Dental Hygiene program at Tulsa Community College. That's what I set out to do. I completed each course with top grades, and I studied and worked hard to make sure I would be the best candidate for the program. Still, only 28 students would make it to interview, and then only half would be admitted to the program. So, I waited and worked and waited. You can only apply in March every year, so once I finished my course prerequisites, I set out to find a way to make myself an even better candidate. I started applying for Dental Assisting jobs even though I had zero experience. I started applying in the middle of a pandemic, and even when jobs started to become more available, I made it to interview after interview and still was turned down so many times because of my inexperience. Finally, I found a place that wanted to hire me, and I started working at Aspen Dental in October of last year. I put the effort in to learn as much as I could on the job. This motivation is what impressed those I worked around to the point that from the original offer stemmed two additional offers at alternate Aspen locations. Thus, I really had my pick of offices to work at and learn at. The major thing that came from this was that I could earn extra points on my Dental Hygiene application, but I wondered how much it would even pay off this year since it would be under a year's worth of dental experience, so I waited for the email to come. When I opened the email, it didn't say much except to open the attachment. Once I opened the attachment, I was so thrilled to learn I'd get to interview this year! Although I still have yet to interview, this has been a long time coming. As something I've worked toward since high school, this has been my biggest accomplishment so far. I can't wait to see what more I can accomplish as I meet each goal that will lead me to the next. Hard work and motivation can really pay off!

The saddest day of my life wasn’t the day that my grandpa died or the day of my great grandma’s funeral. It maybe seemed like a normal day to anyone else, but it was the day it all came crashing down on top of me. The day I can’t name, the day I felt like a disappointment, the day I thought the world would be happier without me, the day I thought no one would miss me. The unspeakable things whispered when I was alone, "If you feel numb, you can't feel pain." "If you drive this way, they may not find you when you're gone" What made it worse is that to everyone else, there was nothing absolutely terrible about that day or those years. They couldn’t see the desperation I was feeling. I'm sure many others have felt so alone in their depression. You've felt like no one knew even though you'd withdrawn from everyone. Maybe we just get really good at faking it. I guess God knew. I don't really know what turned it around. Some days I can still hear those demons whispering, but He sent the right smiles, the right sunsets, the right bonfires at the times I needed them most, and through these things, He taught me to care. He taught me to smile at random people. He taught me that every day is special. He shaped me into a person who can see that everyone needs love every day because sometimes it’s not just an everyday kind of day to everyone. I trust that the love I give is not truly given at random but is directed by Him to those who need it most.

My freshman year of high school, I had a very involved Algebra teacher. She was there to help with homework before and after school. She helped students start a club for competitive Rubik's cube challenges. She even was present at many sports events cheering on her students and the school. Ms. Schroer had a lot of school spirit and enthusiasm. Although she really was an amazing teacher for our freshman Algebra class, what really stood out was the fact that she was there for us when we were no longer in her class. One day, my twin brother and I were struggling with understanding our new Geometry teacher and completing the homework. Seeing as there were already two of us and we couldn't figure it out, we went to someone whom we knew would support us. Ms. Schroer was in her classroom early that morning as she always was, and she was happy to see us. She led us through the homework step by step and made sure we truly understood it. We left feeling so much more confident and knowing that she would continue to be there for us throughout our high school experience. It was this experience with a teacher that kept me involved in my studies. I graduated at the top 1 percent of my class. She ended up teaching another of my math classes, and she always encouraged me to shoot for the stars. It not only relieved the stress I was feeling over the homework and a new class, it also helped me realize that there were people who would have my back throughout life. Since then, I've never felt like I had to go through it alone. I can always find someone to look to for help, and often you will find that there is someone so happy to help. Ms. Schroer not only encouraged me on that day or throughout high school, but she also made me feel like I could do anything. She always made me feel like I was intelligent and capable. That's part of the reason I'm continuing my education today. She also encouraged me to not be afraid to try for something outside of the box. Many women don't go into STEM, but I've always been so interested in science. She often encouraged me to seek a career in STEM or really whatever I wanted to do because she believed I was able to do it. In college I've even taken several science courses, and once I finish my dental hygiene degree, I'd like to continue my education in microbioloy or biology. The best teachers in life encourage us to reach for the stars by letting us know that they are always there for us.

Ms. Dye was the teacher that didn't demand your respect with words but rather with her actions. She wasn't the kind of teacher who did nothing to earn your respect while simply expecting it; she worked for our respect and respected us as students. Ms. Dye was my high school science teacher. I took 3 classes with her, and her class never felt like a chore. She was a biologist who traveled and did studies in different countries, and she is one of the most intelligent people I know. She was a role model to me, and I still think of her from time to time as the kind of woman I would like to be like. From her I learned to persevere in knowledge, and because of this I have persevered in my college career despite every challenge and hope to pay in forward someday. On the first day of class, I knew she was going to be a great teacher. She answered every single question her freshman class threw at her, and when she didn't know the answer she said she would find out. I did not expect her to come back the next day having found the answers to every unanswered question from the day before. No question was too small, too weird, too silly to be answered by her, and I admired how much she wanted to grow our curiosity and help us continue learning. She also helped us study for tests, offering study sessions the day before a test and helping us truly understand the answers before sending us off on our own. You never felt bad for not knowing something in her class. She was always willing to help you learn it. She felt that if the majority of the class hadn't learned the lesson, it was not us that failed but herself. She would reteach anything she felt we had not fully grasped. Even when she left right before our senior year, she handwrote each of us little notes. It was special to me how much she thought of each of us, and how much she cared to encourage us to continue learning. After high school, I faced the challenge of applying to college as a first generation college student. My parents learned right beside me many lessons on applying to college as well as affording it. In order to persevere in my academic career, I applied for scholarships an the honors program in order to pay for tuition. I also worked part time while I attended college full time to afford books, food, and gas. Even after applying to the dental hygiene program in Phoenix, I ended up moving to Oklahoma, and I decided that I would not give up on my academic and career goals. Thus, I applied to Tulsa Community College an reapplied myself to get even better grades in additional prerequisites to better my chances of getting into the competitive program. I've even come to the point where I view the competitivity of the program as a positive thing because I have made myself a competitive candidate. Still, as I waited for the annual application process, I knew I had to stay perseverant and keep learning, so I started looking for jobs in the dental field. I was told by many at interviews that I was an impressive applicant, but they would not hire me without experience. I continued until I made a connection with my husband's established dental hygienist who put my name in for a job with her company. I had interviewed with the company a year prior and had never received a call back. I was determined that this time I would, and I did. I have now learned so much in the time that I have worked there as a dental assistant that I know will be beneficial to my career in dental hygiene. In the future, I hope I can pay this motivation forward. I remember Ms. Dye and those that helped me along the way. I hope I can motivate people with my words to continue toward their goals. I hope to take on interns to share the knowledge I gain. I hope one day to pay it forward financially and help someone else continue their learning goals. I also have a passion for volunteer work, and this kind of work will put in the right place to meet those in need of this kind of motivation. In whatever way possible, I want to motivate others to pursue knowledge relentlessly just as Ms. Dye did for me.

We flew over volcanoes into Guatemala to do a volunteer project in a small mountain village there. I spoke the small amount of Spanish I had learned in high school, and went with a group of strangers who were dentists to do many things I had never done before. There, I made connections with children with whom I communicated in smiles, learned to clean teeth as if I had ever done it before, rode a chicken bus, and even leapt from a waterfall and sprained my ankle at the bottom. Still one of the best, boldest experiences I've ever had.

I had no idea how to even apply for college. My brain went in every direction, and I felt like I just needed a step by step guide to help me keep everything straight. I had scholarships, school applications, and honors program forms to fill out and about a billion other things I had to figure out how to do on my own. My parent's were learning right beside me how to get into college, how to pay for it, and as far as studying went, I was on my own. Because I am a first generation college student, I've had to figure so many things out on my own. I've become more independent, driven, and especially inquisitive as I've faced much of this journey on my own. My parents did not pay for any of my schooling. Perhaps if they had finished college, they might have had higher paying jobs to set money aside for my school, but I was also 1 of 5 children, and a twin. My twin brother and I started college at the same time, and we were each frantically applying for scholarships our senior year of high school. Because I joined the honors program and was a resident of Maricopa County, I was able to receive an academics based tuition scholarship at one of the nearby community colleges. I also received several other scholarships that helped me pay for my first few years of books, supplies, and gas while I lived at home. I also worked part time, at one point 2 part time jobs while I attended school full time. I saved a bit and paid for one semester out of pocket before I was put on the waiting list for the dental hygiene program at Phoenix College. Since then, I have gotten married and moved to Oklahoma. Here, I have had to keep myself driven as I applied to the dental hygiene program at Tulsa Community College. I have had to keep myself on track as I completed an additional 3 prerequisites before applying to the more competitive program. My husband supports me, but it is up to me to stay on top of my tasks and keep my grades and test scores high enough to be a competitive applicant to the program. At one point while I waited for the annual application period to come, I started searching for job in the dental field so that I could learn as much as I could while I was waiting. I searched until I found an office that was willing to train me with the little knowledge that I had. Now, I have worked there for almost 5 months, and I have been a self driven learner. I have learned so much, and I feel even better equipped to start the program this fall. Along the way, I have learned that the best way to learn is to ask questions. I can't count the times I've made long lists of questions to ask my advisor in effort to ensure that I was the best candidate that I could be. I have to be inquisitive to keep myself on the best track. Whether it's in the classroom or out in the real world, you have to ask the questions to learn what you don't know. I will ask until the answer is completely clear in my mind because I want to know that I am doing all that I can to be the best healthcare provider I can be. It is because of this that I'm sure I will be a great dental hygienist.

America is called the land of the free, the great melting pot, the land of promise. Truly, she is all of these things, but the essence of being American boils down to one thing: opportunity. Of course, everyone has opportunity world wide, but being American is all about opportunity and becoming the best version of yourself. It is the very reason for the success of so many that live here. Being American means having the privilege of opportunity despite where we start because we are encouraged to never give up. America starts each of us off with the privilege of learning. Our public school system is open to all, and we can always choose to continue our education or work toward a great career. We all have the opportunity to work toward a career that we enjoy. We have a choice even if it takes a lot of hard work. No, we do not all start off on the same level ground, and we do not all come across each opportunity the same. Still, we each make our own futures by the opportunities we find and the opportunities we create for ourselves. Like a game of chess, each move we make sets us up for the next move and the next one to lead us to our final goal. It doesn't always work out the way we plan; afterall, there are other players, outside forces, and things we cannot control, but we can always set ourselves up for a better opportunity the next round. Some of us may start out poor and have to work harder to get to financial stability or to fund a great dream, but the opportunity is not taken from us. Some of us may be judged on the color of our skin and have to find a way to make it despite those who tell us "no." Some of us may be at a disadvantage because of our gender, but we all have the opportunity to prove to those that held us back that we are stronger than all of these things. Our disadvantages only show how hard we have worked to get somewhere in life. In America, we have the opportunity to prove every disadvantage wrong. There's something about those of us that make it far in this life; we don't give up easily. Some of us are optimists with compelling, continuing hope, and some of us are stubborn brutes who simply refuse to bend under the load of imperfection. I think that's the thing about America; whatever kind of person you are there's some kind of hope in just living where we do. You don't have to be the eternal optimist to find it; you just have to look around you and see that there is a chance for each of us to make it. I would never say that there aren't some with an advantage, but this happens world wide. Being American means that you are allowed and encouraged to seek whatever you may dream of doing despite where you came from, despite whatever holds you back. America cheers on the underdog; it's her favorite pastime. This is because despite everything else that defines you, America cheers on its own. Whatever else you may be, you are American.

That big, black, upright bass towered in the corner. No one really played it these days, but it was there and that was enough. Every time I looked at it, I thought of him. He didn't really tower, but he'd always towered over me since he had been gone since I was only 10. Still, just like his bass, he seemed to attract attention; it was through his joyous personality. Just like the bass made me think of my grandpa, I thought of the time my father saw a woman wearing a jacket with my great-grandfather's name on it. She had won a fiddling competition by fiddling the most like him. He too had left a legacy even as a man I had never met. My grandpa didn't have as much as some to leave behind materially, yet those material things helped us cling to his true legacy. His was a legacy of music, fun, and laughter. Legacy is like a memory that continues to live through those we leave those memories with, and his legacy lives through us just as my great-grandfather's legacy lived through those who knew him. Legacies live down through generations, affecting the way each of us will live our lives. Each kind of legacy is different in material but the same in the way that it is the essence of something that someone once lived for, and we cling to the things that remind us of that essence to help us live it out and keep it alive. I want to leave that kind of legacy too. Mine will be bits and pieces of the legacies I'm holding onto. My love for music will instead be in the form of my ukulele or my piano, and my love for people may show through the pictures I have or the stories I've written. Whatever material form it may take, I hope my legacy leaves those who knew me feeling a little joy and a little peace to carry with them through their lives.