@trinityleighwilson

Growing up I used to hate reading until I realized that you just must find what is right for you. If I could recommend one big to everyone, it would have to be The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. I was allowed to read and study this book for my early college Eng. 101 class and I have fallen in love with it. This is the first time I have watched a movie and agree that books are better. Walls catches something in her writing that just could not be explained on a screen without robbing the audience of something extraordinary. Walls uses so many great descriptions that help the reader feel like they are a part of the story. The reader can feel heartbreak and inspiration while reading about Walls’ childhood. Knowing that everything is true makes you think about life and helps those with a challenging childhood have hope for the future. Most true stories I have read end up being very boring, however, this keeps you on your toes, wondering what will happen next. This book captures so many great lessons that everyone should hear and leaves you genuinely wanting to know more. Without focusing on only one topic, Walls’ creates a safe place for the reader to feel vulnerable and know that even though we may not talk about what we are going through, we are surely not alone. One of the most important things I have learned from this book is that no matter where you come from, you decide where you end up. You can choose to sit around making excuses, or you can get up and work to be the best you can be each day, rather than feeling sorry for yourself. We cannot control what life throws at us, but we can control what we do with it.

At first, watching this show, me and my friends were Team Conrad. Now, however, I have realized that both Conrad and Jeremiah have pros and cons; the person who causes most of the trouble is Belly. I believe that Conrad and Jeremiah could have treated Belly greatly if given an equal opportunity. Since I am neither team Conrad nor team Jeremiah, I will explain why I am team anti-Belly. In the very first episode, we learn that Belly has just gone through a major glow-up and is starting to get attention from boys that she is not used to. She starts out flirting with Conrad, and then at their first bonfire, she ends up meeting Cam. He is a great guy, but Belly once again does not actually like him, just the attention. The Fisher boys and Belly's brother Steven crash her date with Cam at the drive-in movie. Conrad then does not give Belly her birthday present, because he is still upset over an argument they had. Instead of noticing how toxic Conrad can be, Belly goes to kiss him that night, because she craves attention from any guy, no matter how he treats her. Conrad and Belly begin texting each other excited about seeing one another before she goes on another date with Cam. Belly ends up breaking up with Cam, rather than committing, and Conrad tells her he cannot be with her. This should have been a serious red flag. Conrad asks Belly to the ball in episode 6, but Belly kisses his brother and asks him to take her instead. This was right after switching out Jeremiah for Conrad during the volleyball tournament, and having Conrad win the game. Talk about a rollercoaster. After telling Conrad he is too late, she kisses him later after the ball. She cannot seem to make up her mind, and it is not fair to anyone around her. Belly tells Conrad they should just be friends so that they do not hurt Jeremiah's feelings. This would be extremely sweet if she would stick to it, but of course, she does not. Conrad and Belly end up having sex together later. That does not sound like ending things to me. They end up breaking up at her prom, but then she gets upset to see Conrad on another girl. A very hypocritical moment if you ask me. To tie things off, Belly and Jeremiah kiss each other, on top of Conrad's car while she is wearing Conrad's sweatshirt. This is insane. If you love someone, you will not have eyes for anybody else. Belly, on the other hand, has eyes for everyone else. She is not willing to commit, and that says a lot about her character. She goes back and forth with the boys, no matter how they treat her. Whenever given an opportunity by either guy, she takes it without thinking of anyone but herself. Before she turned pretty, she did not get attention like this from guys. She became addicted to that and started to crave that validation from those around her because she could not give that to herself. Let us not ignore the fact that both the Fisher boys have a lot of work to do, but they are both too good for Belly. She is too immature and not willing to commit. You must be content alone before you are with someone else. Belly is not. Until we see some truth growth, Belly should stay alone. This is something we could all learn from.

This is a prompt that has seriously intrigued me; I have always grown up saying that I was born in the wrong generation. Thinking of all the differences between Gen Z vs. Millennials is often very easy, but we usually overlook all of the things we have in common. Millennials mostly see things done differently and automatically shame it because it is not what they are used to. I think everyone should work to learn from one another to make this world a better place. We should work to complete each other rather than compete against one another. We are the future of this world. Isn't that crazy? One quote from the text that stuck out to me was "Our children are our elders in-universe time, said Buckminster Fuller, and it can be difficult for my generation to accept this." I have never really thought about this. I often feel belittled because of my age, but in reality, my age means nothing. It never stays the same. Why give so much meaning to something that is forever changing? If we all have the same goal of making out society a better place, our places in life shouldn't matter. One thing that this made me think of is history. I have honestly grown up loving hearing about the things that have happened around me, and how each generation has seemed to survive something different. Throughout all that I've read, a big topic is how much we judge each other on the ways we do things. One example from the text is technology, younger people seem to be on it "too much", but I believe that is only because they have access to it. I do not think Millennials should bash younger generations for that, because they did not have those resources, so they do not know how they would have been. Who's to say they would have been the same? One thing that was very interesting to me, was the paragraph about Gen-Z accepting bankruptcy in our economy. In my opinion, we only accept it because we have to. For example, I do not believe that everyone needs college. My papa did not even make it through his 8th-grade year, yet became very successful. If you have a skill (especially blue-collar), you can make much more than someone with a master's degree. On the other hand, some people need college for what they want to pursue. I am one of those people. I plan on becoming a social worker; I am an early college student, and I also attend the career center for an early law class. I know that to make decent money in my field, I need higher education. College costs an insane amount of money, which explains why I spend so long applying for scholarships. I am not saying that the crazy cost of everything is right, but it is just how things are. I am one of the youth excited to be a part of life. I know that it is hard, but I also know that I am willing to work even harder to do my best with everything I put my mind to. It is not that Gen-Z is oblivious to hardships, those do not just begin at 18. They begin at the start of life. I know that my "childhood" has caused me to grow up quickly, and experience more than most adults. Although this has been a big hit for essays; It doesn't change the hurt I have gone through. The thing about experiencing more of life is that we feel like we have more control to make it better, despite the hardships that we know we will face. This generation is honestly way too sensitive in my opinion, and Millennials are just the opposite. I do think that we need to care about things, but it is a problem to care way too much about every little thing. One show that I love is The Office, there are a lot of funny, yet harsh jokes. Everyone knows that they are just jokes, but I know that in this generation a show like that would have never been allowed. Everyone seems to be sensitive about something, and they make everything about that one thing. I am not saying that it is wrong to care or to not care. Just that we need to find an in-between. In conclusion, I do believe that we can make a difference in this world. Having that said, we can't change things unless we learn from the past mistakes of those around us. It is possible to change, but only if we help one another. The question is not "Can we change the world?", or "Can we become the next great generation?" because we can. The question is, are we willing to?

Although women have made so many advances, boys still often have the outlook that girls are fragile, or can't do as much. At school I don't feel like the guys/men around me take me seriously. I know that I've been underestimated many times, and all I can do about that is prove them wrong. Being raised by my grandparents, I've been brought up learning the traditional roles of men and women. I've learned to cook and bake from scratch, help raise/take care of children, and help with whatever needs to be done around the house. Although my grandparents have taught me things like this and how I need to do them, they have NEVER held me back or acted as if I couldn't do something. I go hunting and fishing with my papa, and he makes sure I do everything independently such as pulling the deer out, driving his truck, carrying bags of corn to put out etc. The point is, they've taught me things I should do, but have never limited me to just those things, they don't treat me as if I'm any less capable than my brothers are. I quickly learned that just because my grandparents didn't underestimate me, doesn't mean that those around me won't. At school, if I even talk about hunting or fishing, guys joke about it or make fun of me. At the career center, we were asking a teacher what he saw us doing in 10 years, and he told me that I would make a good housewife. That made me upset because although I do love being in the kitchen, and I can't wait to be a mom someday, I have worked so hard in my criminal justice class and am so passionate about becoming a social worker. One thing that has impacted me, is how I get treated when I'm doing community service. For my criminal justice program, we help out with a lot of stuff for the local police department. I've noticed that they usually give me easier jobs or ones that seem less important. One time I had to work security at a pageant, and instead of sending me somewhere alone like the boys, the instructor had me go with someone which completely defeats the purpose of me being there. Another time I was directing traffic, and I had cones blocked off to keep people from going down a certain road, A man drove over my cones and said "sorry barbie", I felt so humiliated. Although these things may not seem like a big deal to everyone, it's hard having to constantly hear little things that people say to belittle you. Those things stick with you, and although I do love my "traditional" roles, I don't want to be treated as if I'm less at other jobs, because I'm not.

If you asked me to describe my Barbie Dream House when I was 10, It was probably included an elevator, a rooftop pool, a huge closet and a million other things. However, my interests have changed by now and I've learned that less is more. My dream house is on some land near a pond, it has just enough room, but it isn't too big. It has a beautiful back porch with a swing. Let's not forget to mention the beautiful wooden dining table and the fireplace. It has a greenhouse connected to the actual house, with tons of flowers and plants throughout it. Outside it has a pool with salt water so it feels like the beach. There's a walkway that leads towards a gate with tons of animals in it. There's a loft on the inside with a wooden ladder to climb it, in that loft there's a telescope looking into a field of wildflowers where you can watch the sunset. There's a hanging bed in my room along with a balcony that has a hot tub on it. There's a huge kitchen in my house with a big wooden island to cook on. There would be a button on the oven where whatever you press would automatically whip up the food itself. I hope to get married someday and have probably 4 kids I know that's a lot, but I come from a big family and I've always wanted to be a mom someday. Despite all my Barbie dream house wishes, I know that wherever I live wouldn't mean anything if I didn't have someone to share it with.

I'm currently a senior at Midland Valley highschool, this scholarship stood out to me because I'm the leader of our buddy club at school where we help kids with intellectual needs. During my freshman year of high school, I did online because of covid, which made going back to sophomore year hard because I felt like an outcast. If I could tell sophomore me anything it would be to not worry, because I'd have Buddy Club. On my first day of school I saw a boy with autism that I had met at church when we were 10, the teacher saw us talking and asked if I would want to come visit the other kids. One day of eating lunch with them in their classroom turned into my everyday routine every year of high school. I felt so out of place in my classes, and I wouldn't know where to sit if I had to eat in the lunchroom, but I always knew there was a place for me in Buddy Club. I started to complete my work early so that I could go to Buddy Club instead. Every morning in the first period we would take newspapers to the teachers around campus, one of my friends with Down Syndrome loved to go, it was her favorite. She's nonverbal, but she never liked using her iPad to talk so she just found other ways to communicate. I remember one day (after 2 years of never hearing her talk), I had forgotten the key to get into the other building when we were taking newspapers. I told her we had to go back and ask the teacher for the key, and when we got to the classroom she looked at the teacher and said "Key". That may not sound like a big deal for some people, but for her it was. We all celebrated and I went home and cried. I've gone to prom with them, I've gone on every field trip, I've given them birthday and Christmas presents, I have pictures with them hanging up in my room and on our fridge. I was allowed to read a speech at the state house for the End the R-word rally, and it wasn't until I sat down to write it that I realized how much they had impacted me. It made me happy to do this because people needed to know about all the friendships I've made and how they're people just like us. One of my teachers told me about how he used to be in Buddy Club when he was younger, he said that one of the boys with autism had parents who neglected him, so my teacher's family ended up getting custody of him. I've always wanted to be a social worker because of the things I went through before I got put with my grandparents. Until hearing what he said, I was contemplating being a special education teacher, but then I realized so many kids with intellectual disabilities aren't taken care of at home. I realized that I could be a social worker to take care of all kids including them.

Ever since I was younger, I’ve always loved doing things to help people or make them happy. It makes me feel accomplished to know that I could make someone else’s day, or ease the load of another’s. Growing up I served as a student ambassador for my elementary and middle school, and I now serve as one for the Aiken County Career and Technology Center. I'm president of FCA (my school's bible club), I'm a leader for Buddy Club where I help plan events and spend time with the special needs kids, I'm also secretary of Key Club where we work on community service around the school. This past school year, I served as a Junior Marshal for the career center as well. I've never been good at any sports, so finding my place in different spots around the community has been so rewarding for me. In my youth group, we went to speak at a homeless shelter and helped provide their dinner that night. I went home and cried that night because it made me feel grateful for all the things I have. When you help people, I believe that it gives them hope, and it could be just what that person needs no matter how big or small your action is. Giving back to the community means putting others' needs before your own sometimes, and that's okay. If we would focus on each other more, rather than ourselves, it would be a whole lot easier to be kind to one another. We all need help, and that doesn't make us weak, it just makes us human. In my criminal justice program, we're required to do a certain amount of community work to keep our place, this has influenced me more than I thought it would because it has made me more aware of all the needs around me. This has opened my eyes and has humbled me. A big goal of mine has always been to become a social worker to help get kids into safe homes and show them that somebody cares. I hope to continue serving in my community as needed, and I know that I'll continue to jump towards any opportunity that comes my way. I want every chance I can get to grow and learn as much as I can from those around me, and I hope that someday I'll reach my goal of becoming a social worker.

Growing up I've never been good at sports, but I have always been good at helping people. From running errands for my 5th-grade teacher throughout the school to being the first person asked to participate in community service projects. I used to feel jealous of those with a talent for a sport, but now I understand that everyone has their passion, and they're equally important. Growing up I've always been a people pleaser, however, I have learned to stand my ground when it's needed. I always want to be the person that people can count on for things, so I always jump towards every opportunity that comes my way. Growing up I was a student ambassador in 4th-6th grade, and I also received character of the year awards. Currently, I'm secretary for the Key Club, a speaker for FCA, a leader for Buddy Club, and an ambassador for the Aiken county career and Technology Center where I also served as a Junior Marshal. To keep my place at the career center, I'm required to be involved in community service which I've grown to love. One of the most important things to me is my faith, which is why FCA (my school's weekly bible study) is so important to me. I'm now a senior, and I've been speaking for FCA ever since 7th grade at my middle school. I learned quickly that to talk about Jesus, you have to genuinely know him. My biggest prayer is that my classmates whom I speak to, not only come to know God but come to follow him. I hope to continue FCA in college, and to be an example of what it means to live for God. 1 Timothy 4:12 "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.". Another club that has impacted my life is Buddy Club, which is where I've grown so entirely close with kids who have intellectual disabilities. I was given the opportunity to speak at the state house during the End the R-word Rally which wasn't really in my comfort zone, but ended up being one of my greatest memories. I've been in this club all of high school, and before then I never really knew the impact these kids would have on me. I've eaten lunch with them every single school day and visited their classroom every chance I've had to spend time with them. Although they have taught me a lot, the most important thing has been to enjoy the little things, because that's what matters. I know that my character, heart and the intentions that I have exemplify true leadership. In the future, I want to use the skills that I've equipped and continue to stay involved in the world. I know that I'll continue to jump towards any opportunity that comes my way, to grow, learn and continue helping those around me.

I've always known people that have had cancer, many people in my family have passed away from it. Even then it didn't hurt me much until freshman year when my grandparents (legal guardians) sat me down to tell me that my papa had been diagnosed with Leukemia. This was when covid was new and unknown, and my family needed to take extra precautions which resulted in us doing online school. It's one thing to know someone who has cancer and to live with someone that does. I was terrified of getting sick because I didn't want my papa sick on top of the effects of his chemo. My papa is such a strong person, and other than being tired a lot, he never stopped being my papa. He continued working and running our family business all on his own with my nanny. Not only that, but he continued raising and loving me and my 3 siblings, who he never had to take in in the first place. Nobody talks about the relief you feel when you find out someone you love has beat cancer, and the anxiety you have knowing it could come back at any time. I blocked that feeling out, and I knew it could come back, but I never thought it would. I'm going into senior year, and a couple of weeks ago my papa went to his follow-up that he has every 3 months, just to check in on him like normal. Except for that day when we sat down for dinner, my grandparents told me they needed to talk to me and my heart sank. I acted strong because I knew that's what they were doing for me, but in reality, it felt as if I couldn't breathe. I've been so blessed to be raised by my grandparents, but the difficult thing about being a 17-year-old with "parents" in their 70s is feeling like you're being robbed of time with the most important people in your world. It sounds so selfish, but I worry so much about having someone to walk me down the aisle someday, or having someone there when I have kids. So at that moment, the idea of cancer being back just amplified that feeling. After a couple of days of praying so much, we got a call that my papa's doctor ran a full test and found no active cancer cells. It didn't feel real, but at the same time, all of my anxiety went away. This experience hasn't affected my career aspirations, nor has it affected my beliefs (although it has strengthened my faith). But one thing it has done is show me that the time you do have with people is so entirely precious. You never know when things could change, so instead of waiting for something bad to happen for you to realize how valuable time is, live knowing that none of us are promised tomorrow. No matter what age you are, no matter what your health is like, you have no idea how long you'll live, so you have to cherish every moment you have with the people you love.

Listening to Dr. Jack's story has made me think about my high school experience as a Christian teenager, which hasn't been necessarily easy. I teach bible study at my high school for a club called Fca (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). I'm not an athlete, however, Fca has been a big part of my education for a while. I used to love school so much until I made it to high school where all of my childhood classmates changed, I guess I didn't get the memo. It's easy to stand up for what you know is right when you're not surrounded by all of the wrongs, but it gets a lot harder when it becomes all you're surrounded with for 7 hours a day. I've come to know that believing in God and living for him are two different things, and only one of them matters. Ironically, everyone I know is Christian, yet none of them seem to live like it. In Fca I see how my classmates act inside of the classroom, and then how they are out in the hallways, or on social media. I've been made fun of for teaching bible study by the very people that attend it. People seem to pick and choose what they want to believe, like when guys say they're Christians, that is until they find out you're serious about saving yourself for marriage. One night I was feeling out of place, I read Esther 4:14 "Perhaps you were made for such a time as this.", and it stuck with me. I know that my faith is only being tested by the people around me and that I'm stronger because of it. Ever since I was younger, I've wanted to be a social worker and get kids into safe homes. I was in a bad home before getting put with my grandparents at 10 years old, I know that the best thing I could do for other kids in my society is to show them they're not alone. Sometimes people just need to know that someone understands what they're going through and that it won't last forever. I know that I'll work as hard as I can to help change children's lives for the better. Although change can be scary, I've come to know that sometimes it's what's best for you in the long run. From just listening to a portion of Dr. Jacks's story, I know that he made a difference in people's lives, that's something I want people to be able to say about me. You've said that he's spread knowledge and hope to the people around him, and that's something I wish to also do. I hope to acquire as much education as I can so that one day I'm able to change people's lives too.

Most kids grow up hating school, but for me, it was always an escape. It's not that I loved school, it's just that I hated being "home". Having parents who didn't know my name half of the time, I made it a goal to become known to my teachers at school. When 10-year-old me got taken away from my parents, it wasn't something that broke my heart, yet something that fulfilled it. As a little girl, I prayed day and night that one day I would wake up and my parents would be good again. I prayed to have clean clothes and a safe house, I wanted to feel seen, not just at school. I never realized that having all of the awards I got meant nothing because I had nobody to show them to. I thought that if I tried hard enough, everything would be okay. So after losing my parents, I blamed God, because not only did he give me bad ones, but he had taken them away from me. Nobody ever told me that sometimes things have to fall apart to come together, and that's what happened. My siblings and I are with our grandparents now, we have movie nights together, we eat dinner together, and they show up when I get awards. They have guided me and been so patient with me, they even got me a dog. The truth is I was so caught up in my past that I didn't realize God had given me everything I ever asked for, and that was family. After all I've been through you'd have to know that 10-year-old me would be freaking out if she knew I was pursuing my dream of becoming a social worker. You asked what I plan to do to help those in my community, and the answer is simple. I'm planning to help kids find their forever homes because you're not always born into them. To some people, leaving your parents is awful, but it's what others pray for. I've always wanted to become a mom someday, so it breaks my heart to know that there are still kids in those homes, who aren't safe or happy. Especially when you know there are other people out there to care for them. My youngest sibling was 2 when we got put with our grandparents, she's lived a normal childhood and doesn't remember the bad things our parents put us through. Seeing how my siblings get to live now has healed my inner child, I feel so thankful that they can experience the things I never got to. I'm so grateful that they'll always have someone show up for them in all that they do. Even though we're safe now, I always wonder how different things would be if we were still with our parents. I can't stop at knowing my siblings are safe, because more kids out there need help. Every kid deserves to feel loved, and they shouldn't have parents that they're afraid of. Having that said, I hope that you could consider helping me change other children's lives, just as my social worker did for me.