A lyric from Olivia Rodrigo’s **“all-american b*tch”** that resonates with my teenage experience is: “I don’t get angry when I’m pissed / I’m the eternal optimist.” This line captures the pressure many teens feel to suppress negative emotions in order to appear likable, composed, and “mature.” During adolescence, there’s often an expectation—especially for girls—to stay calm, polite, and positive, no matter what they’re really feeling inside. You’re taught that showing anger makes you “difficult” or “dramatic,” so instead, you bottle it up and smile through it. As a teenager, I remember feeling frustrated, or hurt, but not knowing how to express it without seeming like I was overreacting. That pressure to be the “eternal optimist” can be isolating—it means putting on a front even when things aren’t okay, because you don’t want to be judged or dismissed. This lyric perfectly captures that tension: the disconnect between what you feel and what you're 'allowed' to show. It reflects the emotional tug-of-war that defines so much of adolescence—the desire to be authentic clashing with the fear of being rejected for it. Olivia uses sharp irony here to highlight how unfair and exhausting it is to constantly manage other people’s comfort at the expense of your own honesty. And that’s a huge part of the teenage experience: learning to untangle who you really are from who you’re expected to be. “I’m the eternal optimist.” This line really captures the complicated mix of hope and pressure that comes with adolescence. As a teenager, there’s this constant expectation to stay positive, to believe everything will work out, even when you’re facing real struggles or feeling overwhelmed. Being an “eternal optimist” can feel like a mask you wear to hide your fears or doubts, because admitting you’re not okay might make you seem weak or out of control. This lyric sums up the challenge of adolescence: balancing the natural ups and downs of growing up with the pressure to always appear confident and in control. It reflects how many teens push through uncertainty and insecurity by convincing themselves that everything 'has' to get better, even if deep down they’re scared it won’t. Olivia’s line highlights that tension—between genuine hope and the need to perform optimism for others—which is such a core part of the teenage experience. It’s about trying to stay hopeful in the middle of chaos, while learning who you really are underneath all the expectations.

Hello, my name is Zoe. I am 22 years old. I enjoy reading, which I try to read either everyday, or every other night. This kind of hobby would benefit me in life because, in college and in the future, reading is a very important skill to have. It expands knowledge and improves critical thinking. I love dancing at my church, but I love dancing in general. I used to dance hip-hop in middle school. I primarily listen to music everyday. I need some sort of music to function throughout the day. I love all types of genres, especially R&B, yet, country isn’t really my thing. I like writing and I have a journal that I write in for all my thoughts, and what happened that day so, in the future, I can look back at my memories. I mostly like handwriting things instead of typing because I like seeing my style of writing gradually gets through the years. I am, currently, continuing my studies at University of Maryland Eastern Shore. My major is General Agriculture and my concentration is Animal and Poultry Pre-Veterinary Professional. My plan is to finish with my Bachelors then enter veterinary school with additional years of clinical training. What drew me in pursuing becoming a veterinarian is wanting to make a positive impact on animals' health and strengthening the relationship between pets and their owners. Though, becoming a veterinarian isn't just about the animals, but also the owners who are taking care of their pets. I feel satisfied knowing that I can potentially help animals improve their life and for their owners to have them a little longer. In high school, I enrolled in a class called Introduction to Agriculture Science and Technology. My experience with that class broaden my knowledge of agriculture class by growing my own plant, and using that knowledge to try to grow my own garden at my house. I’ve learned about livestock and their systems. The benefits of horticulture, basic animal science, and learning about financial literacy. The agriculture business is the largest industry in the U.S., and it's a necessity for all life. The technology for the development of advancements in precision to understand the needs of animals in each stage of production, and the discovery of feeding management practices to increase feed efficiency and productivity. My specialty would be with small animals. My career aspirations is taking on a leadership role within my field and working towards making a positive impact on my patients lives. Another aspiration would be able to travel around the world to different places to assist animals. I want to learn how to handle animals and take care of them. Hopefully, I can work well with my future employees help improve the quality of life of animals.

Becoming a veterinarian is not an easy field to get into because of the emotional toll of dealing with injured animals and long hours. However, the pay off of knowing I am making a difference in an animal's life, makes it worth all the hardships. My experience with learning about agriculture was taking a class called Introduction to Agriculture Science and Technology in 11th grade. I learned about livestock and their systems .One time, in the agricultural class, we got to see a real cow’s uterus, since we were learning about the parts of the uterus in different animals. I also took a small animal pre-vet in 10th grade and a large animal pre-vet class in 11th grade. I am currently studying at University of Maryland Eastern Shore. I am majoring in General Agriculture, but my concentration is Animal and Poultry Pre-Veterinary Professional. What made me want to attend was because of the abundant agriculture. A lot of colleges usually don't have that specific major, so I went with something that went well with my career. What drew me in pursuing becoming a veterinarian is wanting to make a positive impact on animals' health and strengthening the relationship between pets and their owners. Though, becoming a veterinarian isn't just about the animals, but also the owners who are taking care of their pets. I feel satisfied knowing that I can potentially help animals improve their life and for their owners to have them a little longer. My specialty would be with small animals. My career aspirations are getting a job as a veterinarian somewhere. Or, if I can, get to travel around the world to different places to help animals. I don’t know about owning my own veterinary practice. I don’t really have that in mind, or don’t know how to run a business. I want to learn how to handle animals and take care of them. Hopefully, I can work well with my future employees and to improve the quality of life of animals. I don't remember the exact moment that I wanted to become a veterinarian. The farthest memory was in middle school and just deciding on being a veterinarian because I loved animals. Since then, I signed up for clubs, and classes that had anything to do with animals. There was a time when I was in a program called GEMS (Gains in the Education of Mathematics and Science), and they (the teacher assistants) told us we were going to dissect a baby pig, the excitement I got from using my knowledge on how to do stitches fueled my passion to learn more about animals. I was in a Pre-Vet club during my 11th and 12th grade year in high school. We helped organizations that helped animals.

Hello, my name is Zoe. I am 22 years old. I enjoy reading, which I try to read either everyday, or every other night. This kind of hobby would benefit me in life because, in college and in the future, reading is a very important skill to have. It expands knowledge and improves critical thinking. I love dancing at my church, but I love dancing in general. I used to dance hip-hop in middle school. I primarily listen to music everyday. I need some sort of music to function throughout the day. I love all types of genres, especially R&B, yet, country isn’t really my thing. I like writing and I have a journal that I write in for all my thoughts, and what happened that day so, in the future, I can look back at my memories. I mostly like handwriting things instead of typing because I like seeing my style of writing gradually gets through the years. I am, currently, continuing my studies at University of Maryland Eastern Shore. My major is General Agriculture and my concentration is Animal and Poultry Pre-Veterinary Professional. My plan is to finish with my Bachelors then enter veterinary school with additional years of clinical training. What drew me in pursuing becoming a veterinarian is wanting to make a positive impact on animals' health and strengthening the relationship between pets and their owners. Though, becoming a veterinarian isn't just about the animals, but also the owners who are taking care of their pets. I feel satisfied knowing that I can potentially help animals improve their life and for their owners to have them a little longer. In high school, I enrolled in a class called Introduction to Agriculture Science and Technology. My experience with that class broaden my knowledge of agriculture class by growing my own plant, and using that knowledge to try to grow my own garden at my house. I’ve learned about livestock and their systems. The benefits of horticulture, basic animal science, and learning about financial literacy. The agriculture business is the largest industry in the U.S., and it's a necessity for all life. The technology for the development of advancements in precision to understand the needs of animals in each stage of production, and the discovery of feeding management practices to increase feed efficiency and productivity. My specialty would be with small animals. My career aspirations is taking on a leadership role within my field and working towards making a positive impact on my patients lives. Another aspiration would be able to travel around the world to different places to assist animals. I want to learn how to handle animals and take care of them. Hopefully, I can work well with my future employees help improve the quality of life of animals.

Charity is crucial because it can bring awareness to serious issues in society. It can aim to serve the most vulnerable of groups. Working together to make an impact on what we believe is important in the world. There is no financial gain, but have compassion and generosity. Not only charity to humans, but towards animals, the ocean, climate change, and/or something political. Eventually, for me, I strive to be a veterinarian. To give back, I plan to be focused on charities that are involved with animals because I care for the welfare of an animal's health. Volunteering in animal shelters is one thing I can do now, in the summer.

Becoming a veterinarian is not an easy field to get into because of the emotional toll of dealing with injured animals and long hours. However, the pay off of knowing I am making a difference in an animal's life, makes it worth all the hardships. My experience with learning about agriculture was taking a class called Introduction to Agriculture Science and Technology in 11th grade. I learned about livestock and their systems .One time, in the agricultural class, we got to see a real cow’s uterus, since we were learning about the parts of the uterus in different animals. I also took a small animal pre-vet in 10th grade and a large animal pre-vet class in 11th grade. I am currently studying at University of Maryland Eastern Shore. I am majoring in General Agriculture, but my concentration is Animal and Poultry Pre-Veterinary Professional. What made me want to attend was because of the abundant agriculture. A lot of colleges usually don't have that specific major, so I went with something that went well with my career. What drew me in pursuing becoming a veterinarian is wanting to make a positive impact on animals' health and strengthening the relationship between pets and their owners. Though, becoming a veterinarian isn't just about the animals, but also the owners who are taking care of their pets. I feel satisfied knowing that I can potentially help animals improve their life and for their owners to have them a little longer. My specialty would be with small animals. My career aspirations are getting a job as a veterinarian somewhere. Or, if I can, get to travel around the world to different places to help animals. I don’t know about owning my own veterinary practice. I don’t really have that in mind, or don’t know how to run a business. I want to learn how to handle animals and take care of them. Hopefully, I can work well with my future employees and to improve the quality of life of animals. I don't remember the exact moment that I wanted to become a veterinarian. The farthest memory was in middle school and just deciding on being a veterinarian because I loved animals. Since then, I signed up for clubs, and classes that had anything to do with animals. There was a time when I was in a program called GEMS (Gains in the Education of Mathematics and Science), and they (the teacher assistants) told us we were going to dissect a baby pig, the excitement I got from using my knowledge on how to do stitches fueled my passion to learn more about animals. I was in a Pre-Vet club during my 11th and 12th grade year in high school. We helped organizations that helped animals.

Volunteering can be a symbiotic relationship for you and for the community. Helping people in need, connecting with other people, learning a new skill, and can even advance your career. Even the smallest of tasks can make a huge impact on everyone’s lives. From plants to animals and towards humans, alike. It can provide a sense of purpose, a new direction, or a meaning by helping others. Volunteering can assist in exploring new interests and passions, and that can carry over into your personal, or professional, life. When COVID-19 happened, there was an urgency on how people would get groceries in a safe manner. My church created a food drive for anybody that needed groceries for the week. Giving out food was every Saturday morning, however, every Friday evening, we organized the food products on tables, so it was easier for us to collect, and then put into wagons to carry out to people in their cars. They didn’t get out, nor did any lifting. One person talked to them, to avoid spreading, and then we, as volunteers, would pack the groceries into their trunks. We did all the hard work, so they didn’t have to worry about anything. One memorable thing we did when I was there, the week before Thanksgiving, we gave out whole turkeys to people; and most of the groceries that week were food related things that would be in a Thanksgiving meal. Since it was during COVID-19, we couldn’t truly interact with the people in the cars, but it was nice to be with my church family and connect with other volunteers. It helped me more to get out of the house more. When I was 16, I was a camp counselor for a summer camp my church created. I was assigned to watch kids that were the ages of 5 to 8 years old for a week. I was a really great experience spending time outside, and being with the kids. Another thing, I did in the past, was called Bring a Broom Downtown Frederick. It is an event that my city does to bring the community together and clean up the city's downtown to welcome in the winter season. I swept a parking lot and picked up trash on the sidewalks. I was a SSL (Student Service Learning), in 11th grade, for my Pre-Vet class. I helped the teacher with grading assignments and helped the students understand the material that they were learning in class.

I have many personal goals for myself, though for this, I'll say my top one. Completing my goal of reading 50 books in a span of a year. Growing up, I loved reading anything and anywhere I could. I have an app on my phone that lets me track how many books I've read, how long it takes for me to finish the book, and the number of pages I’ve read. Additionally, it also has different genres I’ve read, which is nice. On the app, you can create a goal for yourself on how many pages or how many books you want to read in a year. My goal for this year was to read 50 books in total; and it didn’t matter what the genre the book was. Unfortunately, I only got to 30 books this year, and I don’t think I can squeeze another 20 books in less than two months. Therefore, my plan for the upcoming year is to create a list of the books I want to read for the upcoming month, then find resources on how I can get them. For me, I get my books from the public library, however, since it is a public library, I would have to wait in a queue to get it. If I wait too long, then I end up failing to pick up reading again. Now, I could purchase my books on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, or some other company, however, I don’t want to buy a book that I’ll only read once or end up not liking; and I don’t need any more books on my shelf collecting dust. One thing I have done to fix this solution was to buy a Kindle, which I actually liked. All my books in one tablet; and I don’t have to worry about damaging the book, carrying it around, and if I want to switch out a book I am reading currently, I could flip to another on the same tablet. The downside to the Kindle was the membership fee you had to pay. Once you purchase the Kindle, you get three months of free membership, which included some books on Amazon that were free to download on the tablet. After the three months you had to pay $12.99 every month, which I did not want to continue. I still use it once and a while because I can still upload public library books on it. If I wanted to get a book that I couldn’t obtain from the public library, then I would then purchase it through Amazon Kindle; and that is only if it’s something I am keen on. Different from purchasing a physical book because it won’t sit on my shelf, but on my tablet.

It’s not an easy field to get into, but I really am passionate about learning more about agriculture and my field of interest. My experience with agriculture was taking a class in 11th grade growing my own plant and trying to grow my own garden at my house. I’ve learned about livestock and their systems. I also a took small animal pre-vet in 10th grade and a large animal pre-vet class in 11th grade. This one time, in the agricultural class, we got to see a real cow’s uterus, since we were learning about the parts of the uterus in different animals. What I want to major in is Veterinary Medicine, however, a lot of colleges usually don't have that specific major, so I would look for majors that would go with my career. What drew me in pursuing to become a veterinarian is wanting to help and be around animals. Though, becoming a veterinarian isn't just about the animals, but also the owners who are taking care for their pets. I feel satisfied knowing that I can potentially help animals improve their life and for their owners to have them a little longer. My specialty would be with small animals. My career aspirations are getting a job as a veterinarian somewhere. Or, if I can, get to travel around the world to different places to help animals. I don’t know about owning my own veterinary practice. I don’t really have that in mind or don’t know how to run a business. I want to learn how to handle animals and take care of them. Hopefully, I can work well with my future employees and to improve the quality of life of animals. I don't remember the exact moment that I wanted to become a veterinarian. The farthest memory was in middle school and just deciding on being a veterinarian because I loved animals. Since then, I signed up for clubs and classes that had anything to do with animals. There was a time when I was in a program called GEMS (Gains in the Education of Mathematics and Science), and they (the teachers) told us we were going to dissect a baby pig, the excitement I got from using my knowledge on how to do stitches fueled my passion to learn more about animals. I was in a Pre-Vet club during my 11th and 12th grade year in high school. We helped organizations the helped towards animals.

The field I want to major in is Biology. The reason I chose this field is that in my sophomore year of high school, I took a Pre-Vet Small Animal class and I loved learning about animals, and their different backgrounds in life. So, I decided to major in Biology to expand my learning on the evolution of living organisms; I think this is captivating to me. I mostly like learning about animals the most because my intended career I want to go into is being a veterinarian. What drew me into this career is that I want to help animals. I feel satisfied knowing I can help an animal get back to normal health. I don’t know for sure if I want to become a small animal vet or a large animal vet, but I think down the road, I’ll end up choosing small animals. My career aspiration is to become a veterinarian somewhere. I want to learn how to take care of and handle, animals to improve their quality of life. If I were to describe my characteristics I would be humble, earnest, stubborn, loyal, and imaginative; that’s what I think personally. I like criticism because it can help me understand something I need to work on. I’m always open to trying new things. I would say that I’m a pretty honest person. If I don’t like something, truthfully, I’ll say I don’t like it. Although, there are certain times when I’m not like that. For example, if someone got me a gift I don’t particularly like I’m not gonna say to their face that I don’t like it because that will hurt their feelings; it’s the thought that counts for me. At the end of 9th grade, it was a really rough year for me. I went into a state of depression and I started getting anxious. I couldn’t control myself, and I didn't feel like myself. Although my grades were not showing how distracted I was, I definitely noticed it in class. Even though that was in the past ( I am better now thankfully), I would still remember what I’ve done to get to this moment in my life. Writing in my journal gives me the freedom to express myself (keep little memories safe), and write down my thoughts so, in the future, I can look back at my memories. I mostly like handwriting rather than typing because then I can get down all I want to say and then, later on, type it out on the computer; it helps me stay organized.

The time I spend with my relatives, especially during the summertime with my grandparents down at the beach. Happy memories were made there because I loved staying with them. In a gated community of elderly residents, there were plenty of activities to pass the time while waiting for my Papa to come home from work. One of my favorite activities was the community aquatics yoga at the pool with older ladies teaching exercising lessons for other older ladies and my Nana would invite me to come with her. Before my Papa would come home near 5 o’clock, my Nana would already start cooking dinner for us. With full bellies and a little bit of dessert, we would usually sit down in the living room and watch the news, or walk around the cul de sac a few times then head into the enclosed sunroom for a chat while looking at the sunset.

If I were to describe my characteristics it would be humble, serious, stubborn, loyal, and imaginative; that’s what I think personally. Some of my past teachers have written very positive things about me; saying that I’m a pleasure in their class, have excellent class participation, commendable achievement, and that I’m courteous and cooperative. I like criticism because it can help me understand something I need to work on. I’m always open to trying new things. I turn my homework/classwork in on time; sometimes. I listen to the teacher, or substitute, and do as I’m told. I am mostly behavior that way anywhere in public; at my church, I listen to the adults around me, and I respect my parents. I would say that I’m a pretty honest person. If I don’t like something, truthfully, I’ll say I don’t like it. Although, there are certain times when I’m not like that. For example, if someone got me a gift I don’t particularly like I’m not gonna say it to their face that I don’t like it because that will hurt their feelings; it’s the thought that counts for me.

I am tremendously passionate about growing my knowledge of agriculture. My experience with agriculture was when I was in high school taking an Agriculture Science and Technology class. Growing my own plant, and trying to grow my own garden at my house. I learned about livestock and their systems. The benefits of horticulture, basic animal science, and learning about financial literacy. The technology for the development of, and continuing, advancements in precision to understand the needs of animals in each stage of production, and the discovery of feeding management practices to increase feed efficiency and productivity. I also take a Small and Large Pre-Vet class. I took Small Animal Pre-Vet in 10th grade and Large Animal Pre-Vet in 12th grade. I am currently in college trying to get my bachelor's degree in Pre-Veterinary Medicine. I am not learning about animal biology just yet, but I am excited to get to that part of college life. Getting to experience first-hand what veterinarians do in their job and being passionate about what they do.

My career aspiration is to get a job as a veterinarian somewhere. Or, if I can, get to travel around the world to different places to help animals. I don’t know about owning my own veterinary practice. I don’t really have that in mind right. I want to learn how to really handle animals and take care of them. Hopefully, I can work well with my future employees and improve the quality of life of animals. I am currently in college trying to get my bachelor's degree in Pre-Veterinary Medicine. I am not learning about animal biology just yet, but I am excited to get to that part of college life. Getting to experience first-hand what veterinarians do in their job and being passionate about what they do. I like learning about animals and how they live, what different foods they eat, and their behaviors in nature are. What drew me into taking a career in becoming a veterinarian is that I want to help animals and feel satisfied knowing I helped an animal get back to normal health.

I am currently in college trying to get my bachelor's degree in Pre-Veterinary Medicine. I am not learning about animal biology just yet, but I am excited to get to that part of college life. Getting to experience first-hand what veterinarians do in their job and being passionate about what they do. The reason why I chose this field is to learn about the life of animals. I mostly like learning about animals in the way they live, what different foods they eat, and their behaviors in nature are. What drew me into taking a career in becoming a veterinarian is that I passionately want to help animals and feel satisfied knowing that I can help an animal get back to normal health. My career aspiration is to get a job as a veterinarian somewhere. Or, if I can, get to travel around the world to different places to help animals. I don’t know about owning my own veterinary practice. I don’t have that in mind right now. I want to learn how to really handle animals and take care of them. Hopefully, I can work well with my future employees and improve the quality of life of animals.

The field I am majoring in is Pre-Veterinary Medicine. The reason why I chose this major is to help animals get better in health, and I do love biology and chemistry. I am currently in a 4-year college, at Delaware State University, getting my bachelor's degree in Pre-Veterinary Medicine. What I will do with this degree is go to a Vet school for another 4 years to get my doctorate then try to get into the small animal veterinarian field. I love learning about the life of animals and how to take care of them. I mostly like learning about animals in the way of how they live, what different foods they eat, and their behaviors in nature are. What drew me into taking a career in becoming a veterinarian is the fact of wanting to help animals and feel satisfied knowing that I can help an animal get back to normal health.

The field I want to major in is science. The reason why I chose this field is that I love biology and chemistry. What I possibly want to major in is either biochemistry or Pre-vet, but I’ll probably do the latter. I love learning about the life of animals and the elements on the Periodic Table. I mostly like learning about animals and how they live, what different foods they eat, and their behaviors in nature. What drew me into taking a career in becoming a veterinarian is that I really want to help animals. I feel satisfied knowing that I can help an animal get back to normal health. I don’t know if I want to become a small or large or farm animal vet, but I guess I’ll figure that out later in life. My career aspiration is to get a job as a veterinarian somewhere. Or, if I can, get to travel around the world to different places to help animals. I don’t know about owning my own veterinary practice. I don’t really have that in mind or don’t know how to run a business. I want to learn how to really handle animals and take care of them. Hopefully, I can work well with my future employees and improve the quality of life of animals. I remember when I was in a program called GEMS (Gains in the Education of Mathematics and Science), and we got to dissect a baby pig, and use our knowledge of the past three days we were there; it was the best part of my day and the best experience of learning more about the world of becoming a veterinarian and more learning about animals in general. I am currently in college trying to get my bachelor's degree in Pre-Veterinary Medicine. I am not learning about animal biology just yet, but I am excited to get to that part of college life. Getting to experience first-hand what veterinarians do in their job and being passionate about what they do. I am tremendously passionate about growing my knowledge of agriculture. My experience with agriculture was when I was in high school taking an Agriculture Science and Technology class. Growing my own plant, and trying to grow my own garden at my house. I learned about livestock and their systems. The benefits of horticulture, basic animal science, and learning about financial literacy. The technology for the development of, and continuing, advancements in precision to understand the needs of animals in each stage of production, and the discovery of feeding management practices to increase feed efficiency and productivity. I also take a Small and Large Pre-Vet class. I took Small Animal Pre-Vet in 10th grade and Large Animal Pre-Vet in 12th grade.

Smartphones are very addictive. I should know because sometimes I feel like I can't live without my phone. It takes up my personal time to do simple stuff like washing clothes, or doing homework. I usually listen to a lot of music so that takes up a lot of battery in my phone and then I have to charge it frequently. I seriously don't know how I lived in the past, like middle school days, without a phone. Probably better. There's this app on my phone that tracks how many hours and minutes I have been on my phone for a week, and you would be surprised how many hours I spend on my phone. Honestly, we're all guilty of this. For me, my phone is my escape from reality . A moment that I don't worry about anything. A place where you can get information from anywhere in a minute of seconds. I mean, I try not to have my whole life revolve around my phone. It's just very easy to get sucked into any electronic device. It's an easy distraction. I guess we are kind of dependent on electronic devices such as sending emails, a phone call, or looking up a word. I don't drive because my permit expired. I'll probably get it later in my life when I get a car of my own. Anyway, texting while driving is a serious issue. I hate it so much because it puts a lot of risk into everyone's lives, not just the people in the car, but people surrounding the area. I personally hate it because I know someone that does this, which is stupid, and I fear for my safety as a passenger. Like is the text really more important than me? No. And it's not just texting either, that includes switching songs, too. It's really sad that people do that. Like you're personally setting yourself for danger. One quick look off the road, anything could happen. I mean, there are good things about phones, for example, calling a loved one, meeting random people on an app, talking to strangers from across the world, and seeing people have the same interests as you. Overall, phones do have their pros and cons, but doesn't everything? Nothing is perfect. I believe that my phone has messed me up in my life, like my problem with procrastinating, but it helps me get through tough times in my life.