Patience is a virtue and an art to be mastered. With the continuous growth of technology, information travels very quickly. At times we must keep up with that information and even be ahead of it. However, when it is time to wait, the challenge to succumb to that request is harder to achieve than say. There are some clear reasons validating why someone should turn their impatience into patience. Some believe that patience opens new doors and brings happiness. I don't believe that it directly is the cause of those open doors but rather lets you slow down enough to realize and process that there was even another path there. I do strongly believe that it will bring you happiness. The lack of patience tends to reflect the level of stress or anxiety one may have. Specifically, the potential for failure causes many to be impatient. Fortunately, some realize that the word failure doesn't always mean as harshly as it sounds. Most realize that if a situation doesn't work out then it will be okay because typically a new opportunity will appear even if it isn't as big or in the same direction. Patience also brings good health with its function of relaxation and calming qualities. The art of yoga or meditation is a great resource to learn how to better achieve patience to not only better your health but your emotional well-being. I state all of this because patience is important to me in all of these ways. I suffer from anxiety to the point I take medication. I have had to train myself through yoga or meditation, have had opportunities that I would have typically missed, and continue to have happiness from the enjoyable journey that was reflected through the rewards of a calm and patient life.

I would stand for quality educational reform and restructuring. Our traditional educational system is not working as it should. I strongly believe this is due to the systems that we have in place not matching the society in which it is running. COVID was a big example of this. When all educational systems went online, many instructors and administrators struggled to make the transition. Why were these protocols not already in place? Another is the generational gap of informational input. Generation Z is living in a world of second-long video clips and various tweets delivering tons of information in a small amount of time on a large range of topics. We cannot expect kids to sit through a lecture or read a textbook for an hour and fully grasp the information no matter how many times you say it or they read it. They check out or they burn out. So how do we bridge the gap between educational input with daily input through social media? Finally, the transition from elementary to middle school is a big change, but just slight enough to benefit your transition to higher education. However, your transition from high school to higher education is the most drastic change and is very daunting. I believe a major cause of this is that your peers are all new. Your support system is completely gone. How can we as a society believe we are truly preparing graduates for higher education when we have them transition in a way that is unlike any other transition they have been through? These are only three of many important questions which ultimately benefit larger areas like medical science, climate change, innovations, or anything else you could imagine. If we want to fix the world we have to fix our education first.

Leading has always been a natural talent for me. I am always willing to take the reins on projects because I feel the most comfortable in these positions. I tend to speak up to initiate the projects and then fall into the positions naturally. At first, I didn't see the relationship between the impact these positions made on those around me, however, as I taught students over the years, I began to realize the fundamentals of leading and the role it has in creating change for the better. Now, I am always finding ways that I can utilize my leadership skills and experience with or without an actual position. I try to find ways to lead through my strengths and allow others to step in when it is a situation that highlights their strengths. In 2018, I first spoke to Dr. Therese Bensch regarding personalities and team-building. Typically our capitalistic society hinders the creation of teams that thrive off of everyone's personal strengths. Many companies see higher turnover rates because they hire employees in positions that don't align with their best selfs. The same can be said about leaders. My leadership personality is strongly centered around education and guidance. I will first educate and then I will guide the individuals along their path as needed. Some leaders take different approaches based on their comforts and strengths. Unfortunately, not all leadership qualities match the subordinates. In review, my positive impact would be leadership through education and guidance. It is where I am comfortable and where I feel the strongest. Plus, I have witnessed the impact in real-time with past students, which is an incredible reward. As our society adapts to its history and future growth, I hope that education evolves into more of an expectation for leaders.

My favorite piece of art is slightly unconventional. Most individuals typically think of art and be immediately drawn to a painting or sculpture. Even some may think of a lyrical dance piece or orchestral piece. I, however, am immediately drawn to the marching arts. I am a little biased after performing and teaching for the past decade, but I am drawn to one specific performance which has always given me chills. The Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps won the international competition in 2008 upsetting the long time winning Blue Devils with their show entitled "Spartacus." The moment the group stepped out into the view of thousands of audience members and until the moment they were out of view, the entire production was active with drama and story telling. Before the show even began getting critiqued by judges you were getting told the story. Many may not realize the level of difficulty that an army of educators and designers went through to create an almost fifteen minute production with two hundred people together in synchronization. This isn't a process that takes years like most projects of this caliber. Drum Corps International, and member organizations, only run from late May to early August. In that span of time, Phantom Regiment was able to pull off one of the most entrancing storylines with riveting music and exquisite visual effects with nothing other than the standard marching arts equipment and basic props. I implore every reader to find and view a recording at some point in their lives. I marched three seasons of drum corps and can feel with every note and every visual interpretation that this performance was full of talented individuals ready to not just compete but perform at the highest level for every individual who may watch it.

It feels impossible for me to simply pick one favorite discovery. I have multiple favorites that have led to a cumulative goal. Space exploration has always been a fascinating area of science throughout my life. While I am not truly a fan of flying, I am a fan of the science behind flight and specifically into the wonders of space. My mother worked at the aeronautical center near my home and at a young age, I met many talented experts in the field. I spent a good portion of my childhood dreaming of being an astronaut until I realized how much I hated not being connected to the ground. Though my anxiety still gets the best of me, my love for space exploration has never disappeared. I watch every new takeoff and landing with plenty of emotions. The amount of manpower and intelligence it has taken to get the past successful missions from beginning to their end is remarkable. All of the minor items like screws and paper, that average humans simply just live with, have been molded to fit the drastic changes of environments. Now, years of discoveries have led to the newest major launch of the James Webb Telescope. I have been watching since the moment it took off. Every day I check-in for what discoveries may be found beyond what we could even imagine. If anything wants to take over these discoveries and be my favorite, it will be the discovery of an accelerant that doesn't use fossil fuels. Until then, I will continue to dream of plasma engines like in Star Trek and Star Wars. Space exploration cultivates the mind in many ways but more importantly, it inspires kids all across the world to believe there is more than Earth and dream of what could be.

My dream life has shifted from destination to destination. Typically centered around my preferred career at the time. When I graduated high school, I began immediately teaching high school marching band programs and eventually becoming the Visual Coordinator for Edmond North Bands in Oklahoma. My heart was set on a creative life surrounded by art and teaching young minds how to perfect their best self. However, I began to realize that a career in this field was not financially viable for even basic needs. I moved to Texas in 2015 looking for new opportunities while also gaining more teaching experience. In 2017, I started my company printing costumes and other items for the performing arts organizations around DFW. My entrepreneurial side took over and I saw a path to a potentially financially viable direction that would still be in my creative life. A perfect mixture to make a dream life. This was true until I lost that dream due to the COVID lockdown. Changing your direction on purpose or even losing it but knowing it will happen soon is so drastically different compared to the sudden loss of something you have devoted so much time and effort to. I am a lucky someone that can come down to earth and strategize a new path quickly. Utilizing the emotions of my loss, I channeled my plans to the protection of the life I once had. Now, I am on a path to education policy and administration. My dream life is now in a direction to educate in a creative way to protect the person I once was. How can we make education better to match modern society and its technology? These are the questions that can be answered within the work that I see as a path to a dream life.

I have spent years trying to truly love myself. As a gay man that was born and raised in Oklahoma that now lives in rural Texas, I have been inundated with negative voices from those that live in my communities. These opinions tend to be even more influential than social media or television since they are real people you see and hear. Unfortunately, most kids are influenced more by technology than by those around them. A generational change that we must be cognizant of. I learned how to love myself by literately writing down a list of what I liked about myself and what I disliked. I removed the things I could not change from the negative list and found ways to improve the things I could. In the positive list, I found the things I could base my life around. I have always tried to lead groups by highlighting the skills of the individuals under me. Why not do the same with myself and my future? Due to my life in education, I tried to focus on qualities that would benefit my future. My ability to be a jack of all trades is a big one. I enjoy hopping from one hobby to another gaining knowledge to pass down to others. I also enhanced my unique talent of perspective. I can put myself in others' shoes easily. It's helpful during conversations that may feel one-sided. Offering another perspective typically assists in the best outcome for all. Now, many years later, this has spurred many other discoveries about myself that only enhance these areas more. I feel incredibly grateful for these developments in my life and will always look for ways to pass them on to others.

I have overcome multiple moments in my life that were pivotal in creating who I am. There are a couple of major life changes that I have experienced which were either highly depressing or stressful. Throughout high school, I experienced multiple family losses. My grandmother and grandfather passed away during my freshman and sophomore years. However, nothing prepared me for my junior year. My father had been diagnosed with cancer and it was only a few months until he passed. It is by far the hardest situation I have been through. As a young man, it was nearly impossible to stay optimistic through such a detrimental change on my family in such a short time. However, it shaped my response to future occasions immensely by influencing my ability to stay optimistic and persevere through other rough times. Most recently, I lost my business during COVID lockdown. I was distraught. I had spent endless hours creating my company and I will admit that I floated through each level of pain after losing it. However, it wasn't long until I was already strategizing my future due to my past. I couldn't prevent death unless I jumped into a medical field, which I could never do, but I could through law and specifically policy. So, within that week I had a full plan and as of now, I am halfway through. I look forward to my future in preventing rough times for others because as we all know, each of us goes through plenty as it is. Overall, staying optimistic during rough times is difficult, but once I was able to achieve it, I realized that life always continues. Loss is always difficult but whoever or whatever you lose will always be on your side, supporting your future in great ways.

I am always trying to find new and bigger ways to give back. Starting directly after my 2010 high school graduation, I began teaching high school students as an adjunct of performing arts programs and as a substitute. I stopped in 2017 after starting my business that brought low-cost custom printed merchandise to North Texas performing arts organizations. Changing the direction of my life for a more secure career position that assists those that were in the same teaching position as me is a clear example of how I have incorporated giving back into my entire life up until COVID. In March of 2020, I officially dissolved my small business after the pandemic shutdown. For a few weeks, I struggled to determine what path to take in life next. As always, my options were focused on giving back to either other humans or the environment. I settled on the best direction I felt fit me with the potential to assist as many people as possible. Public policy focused in education would be extremely beneficial not only to prevent the occurrence of future viral outbreaks, but many other important areas to advance society. This is why, in the fall of 2022, I will be attending the University of Texas at Dallas for their public policy program. Even through the process of attending community college, I have served my student body as President of the PRIDE Student Organization and Parliamentarian of the Student Government Association. I also have been active in volunteerism, like Operation Turkey which feeds the homeless a Thanksgiving meal. If I can do something to make lives easier or grow the individuals around me then I will always find a way to include it in my life and I look forward to many future opportunities to come.

In 2017, I started my own business printing merchandise for high school programs across Texas. It was a success but a very stressful journey. Unfortunately, after the unprecedented amount of history that our country has witnessed within the past couple of years, I began developing signs of high anxiety. The pandemic abruptly ended my business and afterward I began to struggle in understanding which direction to take my life. I was officially diagnosed with high anxiety after back and neck pain became unbearable. I was holding tension in my muscles which translated to increased pain along my spine. Beginning in November of 2020 I was given Bupopin, a medicine to assist my process of developing self-care and recovery. Since I was diagnosed I have forced myself to include yoga, mediation, or both into my daily schedule. I also have reminders on my phone that assist in occasional relaxation, re-focus, and breathing techniques. While this may seem like a simple task for many, I am always going and doing something that will either benefit myself or those around me. Adjusting my life to take additional time to stop and not "go" has been incredibly difficult and a task that I have had to learn over time. Since I began to understand how to not only control my anxiety but also how to read the symptoms of it in others, I have been advocating for self-care and wellness on the Tarrant County College campus. I am the PRIDE Student Organization President and often discuss the resources that the members have to utilize. I also assisted in the outreach of the counselors for the "Let's Talk on Tuesday" program which consists of all the counselors and any students that need assistance with any mental health concerns that may be inhibiting their education experience.