November 8th, 2023. A day I will never forget. I was in my kitchen cooking myself dinner like any other day after school when my mother called me panicking to inform me that my oldest sister was in a car accident and that she was being life-flighted to a hospital in a city an hour away. I was incredibly worried about her the entire drive to the hospital, and I was also worried about her baby, since she was eight and a half months pregnant with my nephew. Once we had arrived at the trauma center, my family and I were placed in a private room. I couldn't stand sitting in a silent room, wondering what was happening with my sister and her baby. Every bad possibility started running through my head. I went to the bathroom so I could be alone, and while I was in there, I began to have a panic attack. I could barely breathe at the thought of losing my sister and my nephew. After many moments, I was able to calm down some, and I returned to the private room with my family. I will skip past a few details, but in the end, my sister fortunately lived, but her baby sadly passed away. This resulted in me becoming depressed. I was already struggling to balance life problems with school, and this accident just completely broke me. I went into a very dark place. With the recent loss of my nephew, as well as my sister having a rough recovery in an ICU, on top of a lot of school stress, I never thought things would get better, and for awhile I even thought to myself it wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't here anymore. Until one day, I had a conversation with my other older sister, Kyeliegh. Kyeliegh and I were discussing how we have felt since the accident, and she said to me, "I don't know what I would do without you; I genuinely don't know what I would do if you had died." I had never told her that I was struggling mentally, but I think part of her just knew, and at that very moment I knew that I had to keep going. I had to get better. So I worked hard to take better care of myself, both physically and mentally. I worked hard to find the things in my life that I enjoyed. It took time, but now I am the happiest I have been in a very long time.  I'm glad that I am still here, and I didn't let my struggles get the best of me. Every now and again, I will start to slip back a little bit, but I have surrounded myself with the best support system that is always there to help me bounce back. So even though November 8th will be one of the most heartbreaking days for me, I can also remember it as the day that triggered me into being the best version of myself yet.

Leadership is the act of guiding an individual or a group toward a shared goal. Growing up, I never thought that I would be much of a leader; I was always a follower. Until one day in my sophomore year of high school, when my drama teacher made me the lead hair and makeup artist for the spring showcase of 'Frankenstein'. I was incredibly nervous at first, but then I came to realize that I knew what I was doing and that I needed to trust myself.  As I started to gain more confidence and trust in myself, I noticed the effect it had on the group. The actors trusted that I would always be there to assist them in their process of getting into character. As my job as the lead hair and makeup artist continued, I started to acknowledge just how important being a leader is.  Little did I know, this was not the last time I would be gifted with the opportunity to be a leader. In the beginning of my junior year, I was made the lead choreographer for the fall musical 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown'. I worked hard to always communicate and guide the cast to have a clear understanding of the choreography so they could execute it beautifully when the time came. The leadership skills I had shown during this time had proven I had what it takes to lead a whole production. So in the spring of my junior year, I was the assistant director of 'Cinderella'.  During rehearsals, I would strive to create a strong and supportive work environment for the cast and crew. I took charge of many of the rehearsals, leading the actors through blocking while also working with tech to make sure everything was going smoothly.  Although I wasn't much of a leader before, I can't imagine myself just being a quiet follower again. Being able to lead a group or a person to a desired end goal is something I find incredibly beautiful, and I can't wait to lead future projects. I hope that later down the line in my career, I can use these skills I have acquired to help bring beautiful stories to life. Leading my co-stars through scenes and taking initiative when a problem needs solving Being a leader has helped me discover my true self; it has given me amazing life skills as well as helped me with self-confidence. I have faith that someday, my leadership and guidance will do amazing things for other people.