My name is Sydney McAdams and my stepfather and older sister served in the United States Military. My stepfather Micheal, joined the Marine Corps in the 90's and served for eleven years. My older sister Candias, joined the military in 2010 and served for four years in the Army. Micheal had already left the Marine Corps when I met him, however, he has had a significant impact on my life. When I met him, I had trouble eating. Micheal would make foods he had learned how to prepare during the times he was deployed, in hopes I would like them enough to eat more. Because of this, I no longer have issues with eating and get excited anytime he cooks. Micheal has also taught me how to live. I had no real-life experience, and so Micheal taught me. He helped me get my first job, and learn how to change the oil in my car, he also taught me good work ethic. As for my sister Candias, I grew up with her until she was stationed in Fort Hood, Texas. Growing up we did not get along, mostly due to a thirteen-year age difference. However, she has become one of the women I look up to most. Through her life and military experience, she has always been there for me. She has taught me to go after what I want and that my dreams are achievable if I put my mind to it. After Candias left the Army, she went to school to become a special needs teacher. I could have never imagined becoming a teacher until I stepped foot into her classroom. Smiles and giggles were all around her classroom. She inspired the kids to be who they are. In the school she worked at, most families were not well off, and due to this, the kids would come to school with dirty clothes because the water was cut off, or they did not have good home lives. Candias would help the kids by washing their clothes, styling their hair, or baking them sweet treats to make them feel better. I knew after visiting her classroom I wanted to be a teacher like my older sister. I applied to Appalachian State University and I was accepted. I started my first semester in the Spring of 2024 and have been working towards my teaching degree since. My goal is to become a high school history teacher. I want to encourage kids just like my older sister encouraged me. I see myself working for the North Carolina school system. I went to Davie County High School, and I would love to work there or at another rural school.

My name is Sydney McAdams, and I am from a small community called Davie County, in North Carolina. The county has 44,000 residents most of which are born, raised, and live there throughout their adult lives. Many of Davie County’s residents struggle with drug addiction, such as meth and heroin use. Many are prosecuted and thrown into jail for their crimes. In my opinion, this only accelerates the usage of drugs due to withdrawals. I propose a new program for the Davie County community which would provide drug users a creative outlet to prevent relapse and continued drug usage. This program would take an old (county-owned building) warehouse and turn it into a creative hub. The building would serve as a space where addicts can go to find outlets to prevent relapse. Such services and activities would include, community service, an arts division for creative expression, culinary experience and training, a class on job interviews, applications, and job hiring in the area, and a shelter for those who need temporary 24/7 help to combat their addiction. The community service would allow people to band together to complete much-needed projects in the community while providing an outlet and a strong community for those in need. An arts division would allow creative expression for addicts to visualize and express their struggles. The artwork can be put up for sale to incentivize the community to fund the arts program. The arts division would also include things such as welding and other art forms to increase expression amongst program members. A culinary experience class would provide free meals to those in need in the community while teaching the basics of culinary practice to assist in job placement for those in the program. The class on job applications, interviews, and job hiring would provide project members with help and guidance during the job application process. The project members would be able to get help formatting and editing their resumes and preparing for upcoming interviews. The shelter portion of the program would provide temporary housing to help addicts get back on their feet. It would teach temporary residents skills such as cooking, cleaning, healthy habits, mental health tips, and much more. Altogether, I believe if a program like this existed in Davie County, there would be a healthy impact on the community overall and a tremendous drop in drug-related charges and deaths that haunt the community.