I am a high school senior, "attending" an online school. This means that I have been doing my school work for over four years on a computer. This has given me a love for computers and technology. My ultimate goal is to work in Network Security, specifically as a Certified Ethical Hacker. With all of the data breaches, ransomware, and denial of service attacks occurring recently, there is a tremendous need for this skill set. My desire is to attend a university that is at the forefront of technology and recognized by Cyber organizations as being an academic center of excellence in Cyber Security. In addition, I want to be in a position to give back to my community. I have been active in my church for most of my life. I play in the worship team regularly and enjoy helping others. My hope is that one day I will be able to provide my time, efforts and resources to help those that are not as blessed as I am.

I am a high school senior, "attending" an online school. This means that I have been doing my school work for over four years on a computer. This has given me a love for computers and technology. My ultimate goal is to work in Network Security, specifically as a Certified Ethical Hacker. With all of the data breaches, ransomware, and denial of service attacks occurring recently, there is a tremendous need for this skill set. My desire is to attend a university that is at the forefront of technology and recognized by Cyber organizations as being an academic center of excellence in Cyber Security. In addition, I want to be in a position to give back to my community. I have been active in my church for most of my life. I play in the worship team regularly and enjoy helping others. My hope is that one day I will be able to provide my time, efforts and resources to help those that are not as blessed as I am.

My method of self-care is to lose myself in video games. After a hard day of dual-enrollment high school/college courses, I need a chance to unwind. I find this in video games. I usually play games with my online friends. In the process, I am able to unload some of the baggage acquired during the day and share it with like-minded sounding boards, my friends. I usually am able to let all of my worries and concerns go for the rest of the day. It doesn't do much to alleviate the issues for the next day, but I believe when the Bible says we are to not worry about tomorrow. Additionally, I play my guitar. I have been playing the guitar since I was 9 years old. I play on the worship team at my church as well as the youth group that I participate in. Playing the guitar takes me away from my troubles. I usually play uplifting Christian songs, which helps me to refocus my mind. Sometimes, though, I will play a little Southern Rock. Who can stay down while playing "Sweet Home Alabama"? These things help me to regain my focus. They help me to be more relaxed and feel refreshed. This allows me to clear my mind and get a good night's rest. This, in turn, allows me to start the next day rested, relaxed, and refreshed. It allows me to take on the new problems of the day. And it gives me something to look forward to as I navigate the problems that I will surely encounter througout the day.

When I was 11 years old, I attended Enon Baptist Church. Every summer, we would go to a camp called CentriKids in Maryland. I think I went to that camp 2 or 3 times. In my final year, I went to the "Shack" and it was karaoke night. When I showed up at the place there was someone there singing that had the voice of an angel. Her name was Isabella. I'm pretty sure she was either singing Let it go, or something by Taylor swift. so, I did what any reasonable 11-year-old who was "in love" would do: I had my friend talk to her and get her number for me. We ended up hanging out almost all the time for the rest of the week. When I returned home, I started talking to her on the phone almost daily. I considered us dating. It was March 31st at 11 pm when I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to text her. We started talking and she ended up telling me some personal things. The first thing she told me was that she had anorexia. She also told me that she was cutting. By this point I was already crying because I could feel what was going to happen next. She ended up ending her life and for about a month, no one even knew, not even my parents. It wasn't until one of them mentioned her that I ended up getting upset at them because I knew something that they didn't. And for almost a year after that, I was at a point mentally that I didn't feel like I could even live without her or deserved to live. But God showed me through others that I need to honor her memory and live every day being the best I can be. It was tough for me, as a 12-year-old to go through this.I still haven't fully healed from it. So now I try to make it my "duty" to help others going through something similar because it’s what I could've used. I take it upon myself to help people that are experiencing physical, emotional, and/or mental difficulties, encouraging them to understand their importance as a person and that something that they may have done does not have to be used to identify who they are. I listen to their problems and provide encouragement as best I can. I recently had the opportunity to put this into action again. A member of my Discord group recently said some hurtful and inappropriate things to other members. The others in the group shunned and isolated him. While I recognized that what he had done was wrong, I felt it was necessary for me to share the love of Jesus with him, not condoning his behavior, but not condemning him either. Eventually, he apologized to the individuals he hurt as well as the group as a whole. He thanked me for standing with him through the ordeal.

When I was 11 years old, I attended a camp called CentriKids in Maryland. One year, I went to the "Shack" and it was karaoke night. When I showed up at the place there was someone there singing that had the voice of an angel. Her name was Isabella. I did what any reasonable 11-year-old who was "in love" would do: I had my friend talk to her and get her number for me. We ended up hanging out almost all the time for the rest of the week. When I returned home, I started talking to her on the phone almost daily. It was March when I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to text her. The first thing she told me was that she had anorexia. She also told me that she was cutting. By this point, I was already crying because I could feel what was going to happen next. She ended up ending her life and for about a month, no one even knew, not even my parents. It wasn't until one of them mentioned her that I ended up getting upset at them. And for almost a year after that, I was at a point mentally that I didn't feel like I could even live without her or deserved to live. But God showed me through others that I need to honor her memory and live every day being the best I can be. So now I try to make it my "duty" to help others going through something similar because it’s what I could've used. I try to help people that are experiencing physical, emotional, and/or mental difficulties, encouraging them to understand their importance as a person. I listen to their problems and provide encouragement as best I can.

According to the dictionary, friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. While this may be an excellent definition, it really only scratches the surface of what real friendship means. To me, friendship is much greater than just mutual affection. It is the ability to feel free and safe enough with another person to share our innermost feelings, desires, and fears. It also gives the other the freedom to speak truth into our lives, even when it hurts or is not pleasant. The Bible says that a friend sticks closer than a brother. Friendship is a bond greater than blood: it is a bond of choice. It is something that ties two or more people together down to their very core. To me, it is a great honor to have someone call me "friend". It means that they are willing to allow me into their closest circle. It means that they see in me certain qualities that allow them to make themselves vulnerable and that they are willing to let me be frank and honest with them. Friendship is more than just a relationship. It is a commitment that is not easily broken. True friendship is better defined as a strong sense of brotherly love, though, sometimes, it is stronger than the bond between brothers. It is rare to find a true friend. When you find one, cherish it as if it were gold or silver. Protect it at all costs.

In today's society, waiting is not popular. We want what we want and we want it right now. But as a Christian, I am not supposed to be of this world. God sees patience as a key element of faith. Romans 5:3-4 says, “And not only that but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces patience; and patience, character; and character, hope.” Therefore, the way to develop character is to exercise patience. Being patience is not easy. Our very nature is to want things right now. We can't wait for Christmas to come so we can get presents. We wait anxiously for the weekend, which never seems to get here fast enough. And, yes, we have to wait for the results of the judging of our essays to see if we won a scholarship! In the "classic" movie Bruce Almighty, "God" (played by Morgan Freeman) says that when we pray for patience, God doesn't give us patience, but the opportunity to be patient. Even with patience, we want it now instead of practicing it while we wait. There are so many places that we MUST exercise patience. We must show patience on the highway and streets while we are driving. We must demonstrate patience while in line at the DMV. Patience is important when cooking. We practice patience in the lines at the grocery store. Patience, as they say, is a virtue. A virtue is a behavior the demonstrates a high moral standard. If we want to have high standards, we can begin with patience.