I love reading. I've loved reading for many, many years. When I was younger, I struggled a lot when it came to both reading & writing. I remember being in 1st grade, at a below-average level when it came to individual reading time. However, it wasn't long before a simple picture book about the alphabet ignited my love for books. Nowadays, I don't go a day without reading. I don't always focus on simply one book; instead, I often juggle a few different ones, reading whichever I'm in the mood for. I've also extended to reading books online, though I do prefer physical copies. My bag is filled with books, edges worn & corners of pages bent inward as a make-shift bookmark. My phone is filled with countless e-books, with most of my screen time being taken by reading them. For me, there will never be enough books. I have several favorites, some cheesy, some serious, & some seriously existential. They've all taught me a lot & made me into the person I am today. One of my favorite genres is romance, or "young adult," which, despite the genre name, is actually intended for teens and not for adults, making it age appropriate. My favorite book of that genre is some cliche vampire series that I, unfortunately, never got to finish due to one of the books missing, titled "Blue Bloods." I read it when I was younger--not quite at "young adult" reading age--so my memory is a bit hazy. However, the book, all this time, has stuck with me. It was my first ever "real" book series that wasn't a picture book. It led me to really use my imagination for the characters & form my own opinions, even those that differed from the protagonist. Some of my favorite books I was required to read in school were, "Farewell to Manzanar," "Night," "Animal Farm," & "Hamlet." "Farewell to Manzanar" & "Night," are both autobiographies where the authors recount their personal experiences, one being Japanese & forced to live in the US internment camps and the other being Jewish & living through the Holocaust. Both of these stories are non-fiction and absolutely raw. Reading these true stories should be required for all students. When learning about these historical events, it's easy for many to not consider how serious they really were. Reading someone's first hand account changes that. "Animal Farm" is a classic that continues to live with me to this day. The story, which is a retelling of the Russian revolution & rise of communism is one that was very fascinating for me. The book lined up with learning about communism in my history class, which only made the experience better. I began to sympathize with the animals involved, while also chastising their own naive actions. The mantra "all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others," can remain hauntingly true as injustice still exists in the world today. "Hamlet," out of all the Shakespeare stories I've read is my favorite. The iconic line of :"To be or not to be, that is the question," is one I enjoy whenever I hear. The debate on whether or not Hamlet is truly still pretending to be mad or if he has fallen into insanity is one I find intriguing. The array of characters who I can sympathize with, and the overall tragedy of the story are all so intriguing. These stories have created who I am. They've cemented my love for both classic literature & romance stories. The characters teach me lessons & inspire me to do more.

Empowerment is defined by Google as, "authority or power given to someone to do something." However, I personally find that definition much too simple to define the word. To me, empowerment is so much more. Empowerment is the confidence that comes with seeing the positive impact your actions have on others. I've always struggled with feeling "empowered." I've always been reserved and not one to take the lead. I was never quite sure what I even wanted to do. That is, until I found my love for mathematics. I had always been gifted when it came to math, or at least it seemed like it. While a lot of other kids detested the subject, it was always my most favored. I joyously took every math course required of me in high school, and then I got to senior year. In my senior year, I decided to take AP Statistics. I had already taken an AP course in the past, and while it was English [and, to me, much easier than math], I still wanted to try it. I not only loved math, but I was interested in the potential college credit if I passed the test. It was in this class that I flourished. I struggled, daily, but I never gave up. I would spend hours doing my assignments, looking up articles and videos to teach myself techniques we hadn't even covered yet. I was the student who the teacher had said would get a "guaranteed 5" on the AP exam. I helped tutor my friends or any other peers in the class who struggled with the work; it became fun for me to even teach others. However, soon my school closed down. Unexpectedly, one week before our winter break ended and our 2nd semester started, Encore High School shut down. My mom scrambled to find me a new school and I ended up at Riverside Prep. Now, this school doesn't offer AP Statistics. Instead, it has a normal-paced statistics class, which has a different course load and material. However, despite all this, I continued. I'm currently a TA for the statistics class and am able to help anyone if they ask, and while I may not get to take the AP Statistics test, I still continue learning the course as well as I can. To me, empowerment is preserving and continuing to help others even in difficult circumstances. It doesn't matter that my old school closed and I had to start at a new school with absolutely no one I know; it matters that I continued pursuing my passion for math and didn't let myself be deterred. Being empowered is vital in life, and I'm glad it's something I am.