@zachtownsendd

It's 11 p.m. on a laid-back Friday night, and I'm getting ready to lay in bed to watch my favorite Netflix show: Heartstopper. As I'm selecting "Play S1, E1" on the TV screen, I hear the opening song play and the first scene unfold. It takes me back to the first time I watched this show when it first debuted. When the first season of Heartstopper came out in April 2022, I immediately fell in love with its adorable, charming essence and how comforting it made me feel. When its second season dropped in August of this year, that feeling I had for the first season only intensified. To give you a vague summary of Heartstopper and what it's about, teen boys Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson- who attend Truham Grammar School- meet and fall in love. The show explores more than this though, for example, the lives and relationships of their friends (many of whom are LGBTQ+ also). Heartstopper is an incredible series that I think everyone should make time to watch because of the themes it conveys and the beautiful optimism the show retains, even when tackling darker themes. The themes Heartstopper conveys are impactful social statements that deserve all the praise they get. One theme that remains prevalent throughout both seasons is that queer love and queerness, in general, is beautiful. Before Nick met Charlie, he never questioned his sexuality and always presumed he was straight, like his rugby mates. Things changed quickly when he met Charlie in his form class, as he was developing unusual feelings for Charlie- as was Charlie for Nick. Nick and Charlie sooner rather than later confess their feelings for each other and start going out and eventually become boyfriends. Nick begins to understand his sexuality better as their relationship grows. The love story between these two boys displays the beauty of queer romance and love because so many teens can say they've been in situations very similar to Nick and Charlie. Another theme that is portrayed is that coming out can be a gut-wrenching and scary experience that can go horribly or amazingly; but, regardless, coming out takes a huge weight off of your shoulders. Girlfriends Tara and Darcy decide to come out via an Instagram post. Some people leave comforting comments while others leave homophobic remarks. Some of the remarks leave Tara distressed, but she soon realizes to ignore homophobes. Nick eventually decides to come out to his mother, who takes it very well and is beyond glad Nick felt comfortable enough to tell her. These coming-out stories are impactful and show that there's no exact result of coming out. The optimism retained through the darker themes is another reason you should watch Heartstopper. The animated cartoons that show up at different points bring a lighthearted, positive atmosphere to the show. The darker themes, such as Charlie having an eating disorder, are no doubt highlighted in the show; but, the show is nevertheless beautifully optimistic because there's never an overarching problem that needs to be solved. To put it simply, it's love in the air at its finest and happiest, and it's sure to make the audience feel euphoric and happy. Hearstopper, the critically acclaimed series about queer love and queerness, is my favorite Netflix series that I fell in love with from the moment I first watched it. It deserves all the positive praise and feedback it has received, as it has made important social statements. You should watch it because of the themes it conveys and the lighthearted optimism the show displays, even when tackling darker themes.

Ah, Starbucks... our country could not survive a day without it, am I right? It's easy to see why this coffeehouse chain is so popular, as they offer a wide variety of delicious coffees, refreshers, and baked goods. As fall is just around the corner now, many of us are anticipating everything there is to adore about the fall season: fall decorations, fall treats, and fall-flavored coffee. Starbucks has a fall-inspired coffee that holds a special place in my heart every fall: the pumpkin spice latte. Is it basic? Of course, it's basic. But it's a delicious drink that puts me in the fall mindset every time I drink it and it has also become a character in my fall narrative. The pumpkin spice latte is one of the most generic fall-themed drinks you can get during the season. Regardless, I still love the drink, like millions of others in the country, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. From the first to the final sip, it feels like I'm in my own warm, cozy world. The warm pumpkin flavor mixed with the coffee makes for an incredible drink. I love all pumpkin-flavored things about equally, but something about pumpkin-flavored coffee always seems to put me in a great mood and I'll never get tired of it. The pumpkin spice latte has not only unlocked a special place in my heart because of how good of a drink it is but it's also become a character in my fall narrative. Every year in the fall when the air gets cool and crisp and the leaves exfoliate into their beautiful reds and oranges, I always think about the pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread- literally anything pumpkin flavored. It's become a staple autumn-themed drink for me that I cannot go without during the fall. It's essentially become my "sidekick" during the fall. Whenever I have a free day to myself during this part of the year, you can catch me at the store, driving, or at a pumpkin patch with a pumpkin spice latte. It's such a divine drink to enjoy frequently when fall comes around every year, so that's why it's become a character in my fall narrative. Starbucks's pumpkin spice latte is my favorite fall-inspired drink from Starbucks and will always hold a very special place in my heart. The combination of warm coffee with the sweet, delectable pumpkin spice flavor is perfect for an iconic fall drink. It's so delicious and has the perfect fall flavor. Every year during the fall, I drink the pumpkin spice lattes frequently because it's one of my favorite drinks ever and it's essentially a character in my fall narrative. This fall-inspired Starbucks drink is one of Starbucks's most popular fall drinks and it'll always be my favorite fall drink from Starbucks.

Reading this ode to Millennials-Gen Z moved me and ultimately brought a smile to my face. I strongly agree with the message of the ode. The generation between the Great Depression and WWII no doubt endured great turmoil and hardships, much like Milennials and Gen Z. Despite that, we have all strived to live our best lives and worked to overcome those hardships together. Both generations, as the ode mentioned, had/will have a rendezvous with destiny. As a member of Gen Z, I know that our generation has so much more in terms of technology and commodities than previous generations. But, we still have had to endure great hardships like COVID-19, disputes around the world, and the rising/extreme costs of things such as college here in the United States. However, Millennials and Gen-Z has some of the most talented, brilliant minds in the world and we are capable of anything, and like the ode said, I believe we are on track to become the "The Greatest Generation 2.0." Millennials and Gen-Z have and will continue to face some of the most challenging hurdles ever. The ode discusses how Millennials-Gen Z accept so many deterrent factors that very well could steer them off course, but, "so many of our youth are excited to be a part of life!" This alone shows the character and spirit of our generations. Our ability to not ignore, but live around and work through, the turmoil and hardships exhibits how strong and amazing our generations are. For the most part, our generations also understand that this mess that has been left for us wasn't caused by us- yet most of us don't spend time being enraged and voicing this to the older generations. Instead, most of us take it on and say we'll be the ones to fix it, as the ode says. Even though virtually none of the mess in the present is our fault, we still have the grit and determination to build ourselves out of it, which once again shows the true colors of our generations. As our older generations have had to bear so much grief and difficulties, our generations are too. Our older generations worked through it and persevered just as our generations are as well, which is what makes our generations incredible. This ode was truly a piece of art and spoke mountains of words to me because I couldn't agree more with the message of it and everything contained within it. It reminds us that the generation between the Great Depression and WWII was called "The Greatest Generation" because of everything that happened in that era of time; the ode also draws similarities between that generation and Millennials-Gen Z as the author says they bet these generations will earn the name "The Greatest Generation 2.0." With the character, spirit, and grit of our generations, I have no doubt that we will earn that name because we truly are a once-in-a-lifetime generation with an incredible amount of talented, diversified individuals. We can make anything happen no matter obstacles are thrown at us.

Throughout my high school experience, I've had to work extremely hard and put in my best effort to maintain my 4.0 GPA- all while being in several school clubs and having a part-time job. Along the way, I've had to deal with several obstacles whilst being occupied with my pursuit of higher education. It's been a struggle, to say the least, at times. But, I've persevered and continued to yearn for excellent grades and a higher education. To add to that, in the future when I've finished my education, I will make it a priority to use it to give back to my community. One obstacle- that happened several different times- that I've had to overcome while pursuing higher education was coping with rough breakups. One of the major things that high school is associated with is relationships, and with that often comes breakups. My breakups were extremely painful for me to bear; dealing with them and a heavy workload wasn't easy to overcome. But, I knew that I was capable of overcoming those situations, and with my determination, I was able to. Another obstacle that I've had to overcome while pursuing higher education was struggling to come out as gay to my parents. The thought of it would always consume my thoughts during the day and it was pretty tough juggling this with school. But, last year, I finally told them; it wasn't exactly in the circumstance in which I wanted to tell them, but I was so glad that burden was taken off of me. In the future, I plan on using my education to give back to the community. Since I'm planning on becoming a meteorologist, I want to use my education to raise awareness and advocate for combating climate change. This has always been an issue I've cared about and going forward with my education; I plan on using my education to inform my community about the dangers of climate change and inform them of ways we can all help fight against it. Another way I plan on giving back to my community is by raising awareness about extreme weather events so that more citizens are weather-weary and know how to act in the moments needed. The past few years have been filled with several obstacles, but with my heart and hard work, I've been able to manage those obstacles along with pursuing higher education. One thing I've learned is that no situation or obstacle thrown at you can ever truly knock you off course if you have the determination and the will to overcome them. Someday, I will use my education to give back to the community. I want to have the education and knowledge to be capable of giving back to the community because I want to create a safer community. I not only want to see a safer community but a safer world in general; I know that with education, I can make that wish a reality.

As my high school experience is coming closer to ending, I've been thinking about my future and what I want to accomplish. As my future unfolds in the next several years, there may be other goals that I think of that I hope to accomplish; but right now, I have a general layout for my plans for the future, and this scholarship will help me tremendously. One of my plans for the future is to pursue a degree in meteorology and become my dream profession as a meteorologist. Ever since I was very young, weather and how it works has always been so interesting to me and it's always been my biggest passion. Being a meteorologist would be a dream come true for me, and I'm planning on working diligently and putting forth my best effort during college to make that dream a reality. Another one of my plans for the future is to be happily married to my future husband, whomever it may be. It's another dream of mine to spend my life being married and with my soulmate. I would love to accomplish all of my dreams and goals with my future husband by my side. Another plan I have for the future is to travel the world. I've always loved geography and learning about other countries and their cultures. Seeing images and videos from other countries is nice, but physically being there would be an incredible opportunity that I hope will come around someday. I realize that it will be very expensive to visit all of the countries I'd like to, but I know that if I have a great-paying meteorology job along with my future husband's job salary, it's more than capable. A few countries that I especially plan on seeing are the U.K., Iceland, Japan, and Italy. My last major plan for the future is to advocate for social justice, change, awareness, etc. We are all capable of using our voices to advocate for the change that we wish to see in our world, and I plan on using mine to push for change that will benefit our world. Some issues that I plan on advocating for are LGBTQ+ rights, combating climate change and its effects, gender equality, abortion rights, and unfair and discriminatory acts and laws passed in government. This scholarship will help me tremendously because any amount of money granted to me will be beneficial for my college dues and I will use the money proactively. College is going to be expensive, so every scholarship and grant that I can get will be very appreciated and used wisely. Therefore, winning this scholarship would be incredible and it'll help me with my college dues.

Our universe is truly extraordinary and the expanse of it and everything within is astonishing. Our planet, our solar system, and our galaxy are just one out of millions- if not trillions in our universe. The way the nature of our universe works is unique and still has so much to be learned about. Learning more about our incredible universe will serve to benefit us and our future generations. By learning more about how our universe works and its nature, we can approximate when a major event will happen in our relative area and problem-solve and create solutions that will maximize the safety of everyone. While the future of the universe has immense amounts to still be learned about, it's imperative that as it unfolds in front of our world that we have enough knowledge about its nature to know how to act and what to do. With the brilliant, talented individuals within our generation and around the world, gathering more information about our universe is certainly achievable. To collect more information about the universe, certain ideas and concepts need to be employed. One idea that I hope will be implemented is studying our planet and solar system until we are essentially experts at its nature and the way it behaves. To understand our universe better, we need to understand our surroundings as best as we possibly can. This will be helpful because knowing our area of the universe well will lead to comparisons and contrasts while exploring other parts of the universe. If there is a concept/ object that's discovered in another area of the universe that is still a mystery, we can use the knowledge of our area and find similarities and differences. This may not completely give us the answers about the universe that we seek, but it will certainly help in trying to better understand it. One concept that I hope will be implemented is building newer, bigger, and further-advanced telescopes. Let's face it- telescopes are the basis of astronomy and discovering new areas of our universe. Without them, astronomers and astrophysicists wouldn't be able to find new planets and do groundbreaking research into our universe's nature. In the past several decades, there have been newer, better telescopes built. So, we've already made progress in this. However, as time moves on, technology will continue to advance. We can, and should, use this to our advantage and continue to build more efficient telescopes. With newer and improved telescopes, we can look further out into the universe and examine objects and phenomena more closely to better understand them and their nature. This idea and concept are crucially important to better understand the universe's nature, calculate major events, and create solutions to maximize our safety and protect humankind in the time it'll be needed. The universe and everything contained within it have always been so interesting and mesmerizing to me. I hope to pursue a degree in meteorology in college and become a meteorologist. Meteorology is all about understanding the nature of the Earth, so understanding the nature of our universe is an idea that I'm all for and will advocate for because our universe is truly an extraordinary place. Knowing more about it and what it has in store for the future will do nothing but help us and our future generations. The nature of our incredible universe still has an infinite amount to be learned about. To think about how vast and diverse the universe is- and how much is contained within- is truly astonishing, from nebulas, storms, planets, stars, and many more objects. Life-altering and life-threatening events will happen in the future. The future of our universe has yet to unfold, but someday it will, and we need to know about it to know how to act and what to do. We still know so little about the nature of the universe, but with plans, ideas, and concepts implemented, it's more than possible to learn about it. After all, our planet and solar system are only a tiny, tiny fraction of our universe, but every corner of the universe has been and will be affected by its nature. So, discovering everything we can about it is imperative and we are more than capable of doing it.

It's without doubt that all of us have rough days, weeks- even months. It's a fact of life that we all have to endure and live through rough and emotionally painful circumstances. Sometimes all we need is a little "pick-me-up" from anyone- a friend, a family member, or even someone you don't know. I remember countless times when I was having a rough day and someone complimented me, gave me a hug, talked to me, etc. These instances of compassion given to me by others makes me want to positively impact the world in this same way because I've experienced how comforting and relieving it is to have even a small "pick-me-up." I plan to make a positive impact on the world by giving others "pick-me-ups." It's something relatively small, but also very meaningful at the same time. I'm keen on noticing when someone doesn't seem like their usual selves or seems upset/unhappy. When I see someone like this, I'll say something comforting to them such as "I'm not sure what you're experiencing or going through right now, but I'm always here for you if you need someone to talk to or let your feelings off your chest to." Another kind of "pick-me-up" that I use and think is effective is complimenting someone- for anything: clothes, accessories, hair, handwriting, etc. Complimenting someone for even the smallest thing can go a long way in cheering someone up on a rough day. One last "pick-me-up" that I use is giving someone part of my meal/snack if I have one. If someone is upset or sad and I'm eating something, I'll offer them a little bit of whatever I'm eating. It's nothing major but it'll show the other person that you care and that you want the best for them. At the end of the day, it makes me sad to see others down; I may not be able to do much for them but I can at least try to help them in whatever way I can. From complimenting someone to reassuring someone that everything will be okay, we can all make a small, but endlessly positive impact on a world that at times desperately needs it. Going forward, this is one way I plan on positively impacting the world. And, of course, I'll make positive impacts in other ways such as donating to good causes like St. Jude's. However, this is one way I can make a positive impact on the world being face-to-face with someone as a kind, compassionate, and caring individual.

The dream version of my future self is a man who is happily married, has his dream job as a meteorologist, and can travel around the world and see the many beautiful places the world has to offer.

My favorite song on Taylor Swift's musical masterpiece '1989' is Wonderland. I adore and admire every song on the album, but Wonderland has always stood out to me personally. The music and lyrics from this song are what I believe makes it stand out. The background music is one reason why I love this song and revisit it so often. From the opening second to the end of the song, the instruments and sounds make the song sound magical and almost ethereal. This, in my opinion, fits in splendidly with the lyrics and meaning behind the song. The music and melodies truly do make the listener feel as if they are in a "wonderland" for the entire duration of the song. The main reason why I love this song so much is the beautifully and cleverly crafted lyrics. My favorite lyrics from both of the pre-choruses in the song are "Didn't they tell us don't rush into things," and "Didn't it all seem new and exciting, I felt your arms twisting around me." Whenever I hear Taylor sing these lines, chills roll down my spine because of how much I can personally relate to them. In several of my past talking stages, the other person and I jumped in way too quickly and rushed things through, which caused everything to end sourly for both of us. Additionally, I've had many instances where I thought talking to a different person would be something new, bright, and exciting, but after a while, the chemistry and motivation wilted away. In the main chorus, there's one lyric that stands out to me the most: "We found wonderland, you and I got lost in it. And we pretended it could last forever." These words hold dear to my heart because they're beautifully sung by Taylor but they're also heartbreaking. And, once again, I can relate to these lyrics. The bridge is possibly my favorite part of the entire song. Each time I hear Taylor sing "You search the world for something else to make you feel like what we had. And in the end in wonderland, we both went mad," it feels as if I'm hearing it for the first time every time because of how powerful and bold the words are. Wonderland is an incredible and meaningful song that will always be one of not just my favorite Taylor Swift songs, but one of my favorite songs of all time. From the beautiful, well-thought lyrics to the euphonious background music, this song is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.