In my life I have wanted to pursue many different career paths, much like everyone else, before eventually deciding the career which I will pursue through school. Many of these career paths were influenced by different people and activities in my life because like most kids I would find something cool on TV or in a book and decide, with optimism only a child can produce, that I would grow up and become that person. My earliest career wishes were a paleontologist, a librarian, and a Veterinarian. I had loved books as a child, and still do to this day, so being a librarian made sense. The veterinarian was caused by the pets I had over the years and my want to care for them. And finally, there was the paleontologist, which I believe was due to a show I watched as a kid about dinosaurs. Each of these career paths had a reason which made me want to be them. I even remember that at one time I had planned to be a Librarian with a vet’s office in part of my library and dinosaur bones in my backyard which I could dig up. Obviously I do not still wish to have three jobs each with their own lengthy schooling because as time went on I let some of these dreams go as they became less appealing compared to others. However one dream never seemed to go away even as more entered the picture, a Veterinarian. Becoming a vet has been my longest standing dream as a child. I loved animals with a passion and wanted to help them. So much so that every time we went to the vet I would bombard them with questions about what they were doing and why. And as I learned more and more about this career path it only caused me to pursue it further by asking for themed toys, pets, and more. So now years later I am fulfilling that childhood dream by studying to become a vet. I have been starting this journey by shadowing at vets offices before competing in Veterinary science competitions in FFA and finally applying to a school that has a Veterinary program. I hope to achieve my license and will likely work in a vet clinic for a few years so that I can gain experience before opening my own clinic a few years later. Due to my aunt previously being a Vet tech at a small clinic I have connections to places where I could work for a few years and through college I will likely gain even more connections which will help me achieve my dreams making my younger self proud. However it also seems that my habit of looking at many different jobs as a child has also continued into my future because during my undergrad I will be studying wildlife due the fact that Vet school doesn’t really care what your Bachelors is in so long as you meet the class requirements. Therefore I have chosen a degree which I can fall back on in case something goes wrong but that I will also enjoy doing as a career. But this love of wildlife also came from my childhood as I have always loved hiking and learning about the animals around me. I just didn’t know it could be turned into a career path. So while I still wish to be a vet much like I did as a child I also now know that life can take unexpected turns so it's good to be prepared.

Throughout life, I always strive to do my very best in everything, and once finished, know that I could not have done any better. This has shaped my high school experience causing me to take harder classes, be in sports, and join clubs, so that I can be well-rounded and prepared for life. During school, I’ve always aimed for the highest grades, which has eventually led to me adding as many AP and extra credit classes as possible. My goal is to graduate high school with the highest possible class ranking. While these courses are harder, and caused me to work more and risk lower grades, I got through them by showing up each day and doing my best. This is the same attitude I took into sports. No matter the obstacles, cold, fatigue or an extra difficult workout, I did what I was told with 100% effort and without complaining. The reason I was able to achieve goals was through planning and taking care of myself so I was physically ready everyday. I made sure I got the sleep I needed each night, ate the right food and quantities, and kept generally healthy, so that I could function at peak levels and not burn out. I made sure to do all my work early so that I could do it well and get help if needed. In seeking help I was able to better understand the subject and, if needed, do corrections on tests if I missed questions. I was able to make it through tough classes by planning ahead and making sure I had time to get help by going to school early, during homeroom, or staying later. This of course also had to be coordinated around clubs, projects, and many other things. For me this meant I had to make sure that no one thing was ever late because it would make everything else late. In order for me to achieve excellence in school, I had to manage everything outside of school with careful planning and self care. Besides academics and school sports, I also joined multiple different clubs that do community service, and many other things, where I applied my good work ethic to perform all assigned tasks. The list of these clubs and activities included FFA, 4H, NHS, and also being involved with leadership groups in my church. These various clubs allowed me access to many different service opportunities. In 4H, I participated in park clean-ups, Easter egg hunts, and pancake breakfasts. At my church, I packed birthday gifts for kids and built houses for those suffering after a tornado. In my FFA chapter, I visited nursing homes, served pancakes at school, ran a petting zoo at the fair and more. Then finally through NHS, I helped out with my school's parking lot painting and bought Christmas gifts for foster kids. Through all of this, I truly found a love for serving. During these activities I saw how in need people were and discovered how much I enjoyed helping them however I could. I love participating in all that I can and will continue to do so throughout my life.

Throughout my life I have done many different activities wherein I created goals to achieve. But as I have gone farther through life, I have figured out exactly what my future goals are, and now that I am soon to graduate, I have a very clear vision as to what my success is. My current education goal is to finish high school with all A’s and get top 20 in my class, so that I can graduate in good standing. After graduation, I plan to attend Purdue University for a Bachelors in Wildlife Studies which will allow me to enter Vet School and become a veterinarian. My goals in college are to graduate in good standing with high grades in each of my classes. This will help me to achieve my goal of graduating college in elevated standing, like in high school. My reasoning for this is because vet school is very hard to get into and any small amount of help will get me accepted. For this purpose, I will be in Purdue's honors program and their Deans program so that I can be pushed into my very best according to academics. While those are my academic goals for college, I have other goals as well, such as being able to have an internship and study abroad. Having an internship will give hands-on experience in the field I wish to work, while also boosting my applications to jobs and vet schools. Having an internship will also give me experience with animals that my wildlife program can’t give me, such as would be with large animals. I wish to study abroad because I would again be with a variety of animals and have a better application. I could also learn about other cultures and how people live, fulfilling my goal of traveling to other places and learning more about them. Finally, my last goal during college is to join clubs so that I can meet other people and stay healthy. I want to meet other people so that I can keep from being alone while also giving me people who can help with my academics. Many clubs in college go along with the major you are studying, so I would likely join wildlife and pre-vet clubs. Various clubs do field experiences which aid in how I look overall. But not only that, most clubs do community service which is something I have enjoyed doing and want to do more of during college. I plan to stay active and healthy which will help me in life and academics. I have competed in sports throughout high school which has, no doubt, helped me handle a challenging class load. I have remained healthy through high school giving me an overall better life and mentality making everything easier. However, in order for me to achieve my goals, I need the financial resources to pay for college. My parents both work for nonprofits, which while very rewarding in many ways, are not lucrative careers. Their relatively meager salaries do not provide my family with a great deal of resources to pay thousands of dollars toward my college education. So any financial help I can get from scholarships will be extremely appreciated and will help me achieve my goals of getting a quality education and launching into a career that will help a lot of animals and a lot of people. Scholarships will also aid in me achieving my goal of leaving college with little to no debt.

Throughout my life, I have gone through many ups and downs, but one of the hardest challenges I have had to face was moving schools four times. I had to move schools due to my parents work, and moving that many times presented many obstacles. The largest of such obstacles was the fact that I was never able to fully plant myself into a school I was at because by the time I arrived, most people already had their friend groups. Each school had a different environment and set of rules that I had to learn, in order to get myself in, so that I could make friends. This obviously made it very hard to make friends, and much of the time when I finally made friends and adapted to the new environment, we would once more have to move, meaning I had to learn everything over again. This kind of life could have caused me to do two things: either never get attached to people fearing I would just lose them, meaning I was forever alone. Or, the option I went with, was learn how to quickly adapt, and put myself out there in order to make friends. This resulted in me becoming really well adapted to change and new environments. While other people might have struggled changing schools and letting go of people as they changed, I was able to let go, move on, and adapt. Another important skill I learned was being able to identify people who were lonely and adopt them into being my friend, which not only helped me, but others as well. But making friends was not the only thing that came from moving. Another fact of moving schools is that each one has different education standards meaning that while some may push you to be your best, others may just let you fail. Thankfully the way it turned out, each school I moved to had a better education system then the one before it. This did unfortunately mean that my new teachers often had to catch me up, but this helped me develop the skills as a fast-learner. Because of this, I have a new outlook on education and now see how school funding has a large effect on the students, because while one of my schools had classes for the very bright, those of us in the middle didn’t get the push we needed. When I moved to my current school, I excelled academically, quickly made many friends and got pushed into higher level classes, eventually becoming among the top 20 in my classes. Ironically, moving often taught me how to adapt to new environments, and I also learned not to judge people based on their perceived intelligence. It’s possible they may have not had the advantages and resources needed to succeed yet. In my next stage of life, I plan to use the skills, adaptability, and quality education I have acquired to help me achieve my goal of becoming a veterinarian. Along with these assets, I have benefitted from owning pets, which have served as key anchor points regardless of where I have lived. My pets cheered me up during lonely and dark times, when feeling alone or missing old friends at former schools. Because of how much pets have helped me, I want to help other precious animals by becoming a veterinarian. I want to treat their illnesses and keep them from pain so their owners can feel, as I did, how much pets can help them through life.

Level 1- Books with Runner in their title= Woods Runner, Kite Runner, Maze Runner, The Runner- My main reason for choosing this grouping for my first level is because each of these are books which have a two word title with the second word being Runner. I think this would be an easy first level to get before moving on to harder. Level 2- Common wedding centerpieces= Vase, Fruit Bowl, Candle, Sculpture- My reasoning for this level then is common wedding table centerpieces. I again much like the first, think this would be easier to figure out because these words stick out a bit more. However combined with my next to levels which have many flowers which people would think go in a vase it makes it a little harder. Level 3- Flowers whose names are colors= Violet, Rose, Lavender, Lilac- My main reasoning for this level is because each of these are flowers whose names are also well known colors. I feel like people would be able to understand stand this however when this is combined with my 4th level which also includes plants it becomes more challenging. Level 4- Plants that Attract Butterflies= Curry Leaf, Ashoka Tree, Milkweed, Coneflower- Finally my reasoning for this level is that each of these are plants that attract butterflies. I choose this becuase it would mix with the color named flowers making it a little harder to identify. Plus people wouldn’t think of all these being connected especially not with butterflies which would therefore make it harder.

Through out my life I have wanted to be many different things that came and went with each having a distinct experience where they originated from. While most lasted only a short time one seemed to stay no matter how many new experiences came along, wildlife. Because of this, I have decided to go to collage and receive a Bachelors in wildlife biology and conservation. I have had many experiences in my life that led me down the path to choosing this as my major. But the one that truly got me to make the decision was during a collage visit. During this I was simply lookig around the collage trying to decide where I wanted to go and thought that I was going to study animal science in order to enter vet school later just because that’s what everyone told me to do. Then while waiting in the lobby I started talking to a student who was working the front desk and explained that she was currently studying wildlife. So, since I had never heard of this before I asked her a bunch of questions about her major because I was really curious. She then told me that in her classes the professor would spend most of the beginning classes teaching about different animal species, how to catch them, and how to study them plus what your looking for. Then once they had learned everything in the curriculum, they would spend a few weeks out in the woods during the summer catching and studying the animals they had learned about. This to sounded like an amazing class to be in because it likely meant that I wouldn’t be stuck inside all day. So I asked her more which led her to talk about the internships and jobs that her was doing which allowed her to get more experience in her field. Plus she was able to study abroad over the summer in places like the Galapagos where she got to study and learn about new exotic animals. This again sounded even more like something I would want to do considering how much I loved hiking and the outdoors. So that’s when I decided to change my choice of major to wildlife and reshape my education.

I have been in band for 6 years and during this time I’ve learned multiple life lessons I will take with me into the next chapters of life. While in the band I played the flute and while at first I wasn’t very good, over time I had people dedicated to helping me improve. Eventually I reached the most elite band my school had to offer. As I continued in band and improved my flute playing skills, I learned many things. First, I learned how to work hard even when things didn’t seem to be working. As I’ve already admitted, I was not good at first and band was not very enjoyable. Eventually I got so annoyed with how badly I was playing it motivated me to just get better. I began working harder in class and practicing at home. My school offered private lessons, which I took full advantage of. Eventually I got a lot better at the flute. Once I really learned how to play I started practicing even more because finally it was fun to play. I even started playing songs outside the scope of assignments just because I enjoyed learning. Because I had developed a good work ethic, I soon had opportunities to perform in competitions with ensembles and even as a soloist. Preparing for these competitions inspired me to work even harder in order to meet the high expectations of these events. The hard work and preparation paid off by me achieving Gold Status in every competition I entered. Not only did band teach me about the importance of hard work, it also taught me the value of teamwork. Playing with a band on stage means trusting other people to play the myriad of instruments surrounding you at high levels of proficiency. When you know the people around you are working hard to perform well, it motivates you to do the same. After all, without a team of musicians to play with, you can’t call it a “band.” Teamwork and trust are vital to the success of the entire group. Without a healthy team dynamic, it is very hard to foster trust among colleagues. For example; if one person is a little flat because they have not learned the song well, it can throw everyone off. The whole group sounds horrible, and if this happens often enough, the group morale can decline which might cause others to lose high standards of work ethic. Again, teamwork and trust are vital to the success of any group of connected people. In a band performance, you either sound great together or sound like a bunch of disjointed individuals. I have learned so much in band. It has taught me about hard work, team work, and trust in people. These lessons will stay with me long into adulthood, helping me to succeed in college and in life beyond it.

Throughout human history, leaders have always had the spotlight. Monarchies reigned through generations. Warlords expanded empires with manpower and force of will. In today’s world, the spotlight shines on presidents, prime ministers and even dictators. Some leaders manage resources well and use science effectively. Others burn through resources to gain power without any regard for sustainability. While good leadership can create culture and society conducive to technological advancement, a power-hungry despot will create a culture of fear where people just try to survive and creativity is stifled. Leaders influence so much of human society while they are in charge, and what they do impacts future generations long after they are gone. When leaders rack up huge national debt, generations that follow must foot the bill. When leaders push for equality among people, they promote freedom and enrichment of marginalized people for generations to come. The decisions leadership makes about the importance of scientific discovery will either lead a nation to prosperity or to ruin. One example of leadership and science colliding was during the Cold War. Early on, advancements in space travel were led by the Soviet Union. They put the first satellite and the first man in space. American leaders took this as a serious threat and realized that in order to compete with the Soviets, an investment in science and technology was paramount during the coming decades. Leaders decided not enough emphasis was being put on teaching science and technology in American educational systems. To insure America got back on top in the space race, and in other areas of science, support was given to schools so they could begin training and channeling students into scientific fields. This created a generation of scientists who succeeded in winning the race to the moon and helped shape America into a scientific and technological powerhouse. Leadership and Scientific discovery worked hand in hand for decades to build a future for Americans that we get to enjoy as our present. A more recent example of how science and leadership intertwine to affect the future was the Covid-19 pandemic. During this “Covid Era,” the decisions that national and local leaders made about how to respond to the recommendation of various scientists impacted the lives and futures of millions. As the disease spread rapidly across national boundaries, hospitals were overwhelmed with patients and death rates started rising. To slow down the spread, scientists worked to create protocols that, medically speaking, would keep more people healthy while the scientific community worked to develop a vaccine. From the recommendations of scientists, national and local leaders made difficult decisions to shut everything down and force people into their homes. People's futures were changed by those decisions. Because of shutdowns mandated by leaders, average people lost jobs, homes, relationships, quality of education and opportunities for growth. Depression rates soared, health declined and culture shifted inwardly to create a colder, more lonely populace. Politics aside as to whether the decisions made were necessary to prevent the spread of Covid, scientific data was at the heart of why leaders made the decisions. The effect of these decisions made by leaders, informed by science, will be felt well into the future. Leadership and science have always been intertwined. Science informs the decisions of leaders and the decisions leaders influence how science advances. Whether a nation is at peace or at war, focusing inwardly or looking to the stars, the decisions leaders make, whether informed by science or affecting science, will always impact the future of any nation of people.

My plan for the future is to major in Wildlife Studies. My reason for focusing on this major is because I desire to work at a national park and study animals. National parks are beautiful places that can bring so much wonder, joy, and peace. I certainly felt this after visiting more than 10 national parks myself. Seeing the beauty and wonder held within these places, I knew I wanted to learn more about them so I could help protect them and teach others about them. Nature has a healing effect on people, and I wish to preserve that so more people can feel the peace I came to love, especially during stressful times. The sense of peace I felt, and how much I could forget all the stress of the outside world, was such an amazing feeling, that it has caused me to wish to protect these places. Studying wildlife would allow me to learn the tools to do so, so others can feel the free feeling parks have to offer. I can also study the animals there, or in other parts of the world, to collect valuable data that could save hundreds of lives. Many medical findings from animals help save people and will save more in the future. If I can learn more about the wildlife around us, and how to study it, I may be able to help save people with data I collect because of how similar animals are to humans. One example is how environmental changes affect them. We can observe animals to learn things we know little about and can improve the lives of future generations. After obtaining this degree, I plan to become a Veterinarian for small animals, because throughout my life, pets and small animals have helped me through hard times. Becoming a Vet will allow me to help people care for their loving animal companions that can help these people endure hard times in the same way I have. Animals have a way of calming us down during times of hardship in ways nothing else compares. My pets have been with me through loss, stress, anxiety, and more. I have also seen how animals heal people in hospitals through visits that cheer them up. Nowadays, dogs can sniff out when people have deadly illnesses which can lead to early detection and treatment of serious problems. Animals who suffer from diseases, like cancer, can lead to medical breakthroughs that can save many lives also. Not only do animals help heal people; they also protect and guide people. Dogs have an amazing sense of smell which police use to track people and detect illegal substances. This helps find people who are lost, as well as removes dangerous people from the streets. Dogs also help people with disabilities by guiding, assisting, and alerting them. I want to help people mentally and physically through the animals that I hope to study in both my wildlife major and after becoming a vet. I want to help people by caring for the animals that improve their lives one tail wag at a time.

I am a high school senior in Lebanon, Indiana, and throughout high school, I have strived for high academics and a good attitude towards life. This has allowed me to receive many awards through school. These are not just for academics, but also being a good teammate by cheering others on and helping out. I have always enjoyed helping others so much that it led me to joining multiple different clubs that do community service and many other things. As a child, my first experience bringing joy to others was going with my father to visit elderly church members in nursing homes. This kick started a love for helping others which led me to join multiple different clubs such as FFA, 4H, NHS, and others, as well as being involved with my church. This allowed me access to many different service opportunities. Through all of this, I truly found and solidified my love of service. In 4H, I have participated in park cleaning, Easter egg hunts, and pancake breakfasts. With my church, I packed birthday gifts for kids and built houses for those suffering after a tornado. With my FFA chapter, I have visited nursing homes, served pancakes at school, ran a petting zoo at the fair and more. Then finally with NHS, I helped out with my school's parking lot painting and bought Christmas gifts for foster kids. My financial need comes from my parents job, both of whom work for non-profits. While they love their jobs and find them very fulfilling, these professions do not provide an abundance of resources available for college expenses. While colleges do offer financial aid and loans, there is still a lot of money that would need to be paid out of pocket, which my family just doesn’t have. Finally, I have been keeping the youth of my community safe from bullying by being a positive role model while serving kids at my church, where I teach a group of first graders. I’ve learned to quickly identify environments where bullying may occur and help teach kids that, even though someone may be different, they are no less worthy of respect than everyone else. It’s important that kids feel safe expressing themselves even through hobbies they love and know that these simple joys are important, no matter what others say. One day I noticed a boy in my group was really good at crafts, but he would never admit how much he liked doing them because he was afraid of being different. He would even complain about doing them just like the other kids so as not to stand out. Once I caught on, I quickly pointed out how cool it was that he figured a craft out, even though I had been struggling to make it work. After that, he very shyly told me he had received a crochet kit for Christmas and was beginning to work on creating things. I also crochet! So, I kept asking him how it was going to ensure he knew that what he was doing was valued. By making sure he and other kids know that everyone’s hobbies and interests have value, I was attempting to create an atmosphere of acceptance and encouragement where everyone feels safe from being bullied about what they loved to spend time doing. I want to give my little group of kids confidence to stand up for themselves, and for others, while they are young so that they will continue doing it later in life.

Indiana has been home for most of my life. It’s where my parents grew up and where all my closest family still lives. My mother and father are both employed by a Christian non-profit that helps the people of Haiti. Because of this, I have been to Haiti many times. In fact, I was only two years old the first time I went. During these trips, I helped with the many different programs in various locations. These experiences taught me the importance of community service. I have moved several times in life, due to my parent's occupation, which has helped me learn how to adapt to new situations and environments. Eventually, we moved to our final home, which is where I attend high school. I am a student at Lebanon High School, and during my time, I have always strived for higher academics by working hard and getting help when needed. This has allowed me to maintain all A’s and even a 4.0 GPA, which has awarded me many different recognitions and helped me be accepted into several different colleges. During high school, I also participated in sports, which taught me the importance of working as a team by helping others whenever I can. My varied life experiences have shown me the value of serving my community through school clubs and my church, where I learned just how important helping people is and how much one simple act can influence a person's life. This community service helped me to gain a love for helping people. This learned love has influenced how I hope to use my future career to help people while pursuing a career in veterinary sciences. My desire is to help animals which have the capacity to enhance many lives as well as my own. Animals have helped me throughout my life deal with stress, death of loved ones, and so much more. During these challenging times, I discovered a love for animals that caused me to search for a job that allows me to work with them. I also learned how animals have helped people throughout history with hunting, transportation, protection and more. In today’s world, animals are being used in innovative ways to perform a greater variety of jobs and important tasks. Recent jobs given to animals include police work, health care, mental health care, and even as chaperones. These jobs help improve and lengthen the lives of people and of the animals who serve them. My goal is to open a vet clinic, to help these animals, in neighborhoods that don't have access to nearby veterinary care. Long distances can be a deterrent to animal owners providing their beloved companions with regular checkups and treatment for illnesses and injuries. I hope to provide that care animals need so that they can continue to do their jobs and help their owners and others. This way I can help people by caring for the animals that help them, in turn giving them longer, happier lives.

My mental health has a large impact on how I do in school, life, and extracurricular activities. In school, I can see the effects of my mental health being low because my drive to complete assignments and do well on them drops to almost nothing. I have very high expectations for myself when it comes to grades and when I don’t get the grades I want it can cause me to go into a bit of a low spot. I also have a lot of hard classes that often give me a decent amount of homework and when this begins to build it's very stressful. Days where I have 5 assignments that I need to work on, a lower-than-I-would-like test score, and practice after school, often result in a mild breakdown. I have also been taking a lot of classes that have big tests at the end of the year, which can be stressful leading up to. Last year I had three AP classes which each had 3 hour long tests that were incredibly difficult. This was stacked on top of the fact that finals were also coming up and I passed out in class because of the stress I was under. I also ended up getting a horrible migraine that was stress-induced. That’s why I need to keep my mental health in check; that way I can do my assignments to the best of my ability and get them done early. Instead of being in an “I don’t want to” slump. I also need to stay healthy and don't wish to deal with these bad headaches. My mental health also affects my sports, I am in cross country and Track, which are highly mental sports. This means that for me to do well I have to keep a positive mindset set or else I won't do well. If I don't have a good mindset before I run it can cause me to feel as though I can't finish, so I keep calm before the race starts. I also tell myself that no matter what happens it will be ok, and if I have a bad time I will try harder the next. This feeling can also affect my regular life, stopping me from doing the things I love because I feel so overwhelmed. I have been making my mental health a priority by making sure I stay ahead of my work so that way I won’t get swamped. I make sure to talk out my feelings mainly with my mom who helps me to feel better. I do more of the little things I love and hang out with my friends. Lastly, I like to run which assists me in dealing with my problems in a way that keeps me healthy and doesn’t affect others.