Ambition, Drive, Impact. Three words everyone knows mean 'success'. It's so easy to get wrapped up in fear and lose sight of the end goal if you don't know how to pursue it, but having passion is a one-way ticket to success. Ambition and passion go hand in hand only if you do something with them. I could never let my goals sit on the side, not when my passions are part of my whole life! For one, I love creating stories. There's never been a day where I haven't had a simple story grow in my head, and one of the best feelings is to jot those thoughts down. This creativity isn't limited to just books though; I write stage and screen-plays, commercials, short stories, and much more. Although I don't have the resources available to me to bring these ideas to life, I never give up on them. Even more rewarding is my passion for helping my community, especially when it comes to those in need. From a young age, I was taught by example that putting the needs of others first was the good and generous thing to do. My family would always donate clothes or food to help those in need, and when I was finally old enough, I volunteered at our local food pantry. So many people coming together and serving others is heartwarming, and that feeling stuck with me. When earning my volunteer hours for National Honor Society, I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and went to my local City Mission for a program called Schenectady Street Soldiers. I cooked over one hundred meals, and prepared supply packages for people in need. I began to help with packaging meal boxes for families in need too. It's heartbreaking to know that a family is struggling to put food on the table, but after filling their box with so much food, it feels so much better. My passion and ambition for creativity and service, would mean nothing without drive. Having that power within you to keep going, working, helping, and to never give up, is the most important part. I used to call it motivation, speaker Anthony Valentine changed my perspective entirely. Like me, he had so many ideas, chasing them all while helping people by empowering them with his words. I asked him how he stayed motivated in all his endeavors? "I don't. I don't always stay motivated. Motivation runs through you, commitment lives in you". There would be rough days in any path or career where I might be too tired or too scared, but by having commitment, I could keep going. When I think about my goals now, I see myself as committed to them. I keep showing up to these service events because I'm committed to my community, and I continue to create and write because I am committed to my projects. That drive is what changes the world. Changing the world. Impacting it by being committed to doing so. With this scholarship, I'll change the world, because my opportunities to keep up with my commitments will be even greater. If someone is helped just because they ate a meal I cooked, or read a story I wrote, I'll have reached success, and by participating in a higher education, I can pursue these goals without limits. My ambition, drive, and impact not only apply to my own goals, but they apply to my commitment to education as well, to my chances at helping the world through my studies and career. No matter what, I'll always keep that commitment to success.

In all honesty, the college application process, senior year, and scholarship applications have been my most challenging aspects of my life as of late. I never really thought too much about how much time and effort I would need for this period of time, but now that I'm here, it seems every second brings a new hurdle. My college applications were the first, and scariest step. I did quite a bad job at narrowing down my list of college despite knowing exactly what I wanted to major and minor in, and filling out all those questions, working on my college essay, and getting my letters all in place, was all terrifying. My gut was filled with adrenaline every time I had to hit the 'Submit' button, and even just thinking about it now gets me into a bit of a panic. What made the process so stressful was that I hated being judged. All my life I had gone being told that it didn't matter what anyone else thought, that as long as I was kind, honest, and tried my best at everything, then I would be alright. But then I needed to submit my college applications and suddenly that wasn't enough anymore, and I really did have to care about what other people thought of me. My excitement for the future was mixed in with my fear that I wouldn't have one. Even so, I was able to prevail, and at the end of the day, even with so many applications that I couldn't narrow down at the moment, I was able to take a breath and realize that since I had tried my best, the colleges would see my best, and that's all that I would need. But of course I would also need to complete one more year of school, which at first didn't seem too daunting (I mean come on, I've been doing it for over ten years now), but also became a slight source of dread. I took the route of AP and college level classes, all of which demanded of me a lot of time and energy, but I had done that all before, what was one year more? By the end of the first quarter, I was swamped with work and at a loss for time, too busy for any fun, and yet found myself with nothing to do quite often, because all that I had left to do was work. I wanted to avoid it all together, and I began waking in the morning dreading the day. But then it dawned on me that all this stress, all this work, all this time I had busied myself with would mean that I would be ready for anything by the time I got to college. Although I was tired and busy, I was successful and educated in the fields I was pursuing, something much more than I could've asked for in prior years. I no longer woke up with dread because whatever was to happen each day would happen with a lesson, and each day would prepare me more and more for the future. What I need to prepare for most now is college itself, and financially, this preparation is quite frightening. I fortunately have access to these scholarships, but as with the college applications, I find myself again in fear of judgement. Having to lay down my life and experience is to be expected, people want to support those who truly prove they need it, so why would you support someone that you couldn't connect to through their words? I am anxious about these applications because my deepest desire is to make this connection and be enough. This very scholarship is a challenge to me, but not one I will let myself walk away from, because these challenges are what make us human. Through my entire college process this year, I've felt so amazing, even with all the stress, because it's all proof that I am on my way to finding success in my life, all I have to do is overcome these wonderful challenges to reach it.

I strongly believe that mental health of any aspect should never go unaddressed. As someone with many friends who have to work around their mental health every day, as well as members of my own family who do the same, it has never really been a question in my mind. It is clear how much support and care can help an individual having a rough time. Being able to work through it, even with something as small as an extension of due dates and test-taking time or usage of headphones in class can be a big deal. Though, having these assists in place can only do so much, which is why I am also a huge fan of mental health centers within schools as well. Having a place where one can simply go and do work with a little more peace, or even talk to a counselor for advice or guidance is essential for keeping up with mental health, even as only a student. As me and my peers move onto college, it becomes even clearer how important mental health is, as well as how it affects everyone around us. In being able to recognize how important mental health is in everyone, I've found that my relationships have become so much stronger. I have some friends who won't eat food that's a certain color, friends who don't like certain textures or sounds, friends who need to stick to specific schedules in order to stay calm about their days, but also friends that will go into periods of time where they don't really feel like talking too much, or they seem very isolated. For any of my friends, or family, for that matter, I always give them my love and support. There are times when we need to keep to ourselves, but also times where isolation isn't the healthy option, and being a good friend is being able to find the line between the two. By making sure to address the boundaries and behaviors of each of my friends, I can be a pillar of support for them. At home, the same goes for my sister, who recently got diagnosed with ADHD. I've recognized ways to help her, like setting certain times for tasks to be completed with a safe amount of cushion time just in case things take longer on her end, or creating task sheets and lists, even just being around to answer questions so that she can move through her homework without any hiccups. I'm always there to help. I hope that in my career, I can continue this assistance to any of my peers and colleagues. It can be difficult to get work done in the very cookie-cutter environments that are often associated with the business field, but as we move faster and faster towards a more inclusive future, I believe that the work force has to be ready to support their employees just as their employees support them. In adult life, these mental health issues can go far beyond comprehension and focus disabilities, and become much heavier and harder to bear. Even now I have friends who struggle with anxiety and depression, but they are able to keep going and push through because they have support from all sides ready to help them. Having this kind of care in the professional and adult world is just as important, which is why mental health information and help should be used in the business field to ensure that all who work in the fields get the care and support they need without feeling like outsiders or burdens. A better and healthier future is only a few steps away if we provide this care and spread information about mental health in these fields which for so long have participated as one of many causes of these issues. By providing this simple mental health care, we can save lives and work towards a better tomorrow.