I currently work as a school support specialist in two elementary schools and have been around children all my life. Coming from a big Ukrainian Family and moving around a lot when I was young, it became difficult to find a sense of consistency and structure in our everyday lives. It took me many years into my youth to finally feel like I found somewhere I belonged. That place was with kids. From volunteering at church camps and school events to being in environments with every single age range during my time in a daycare and as a nanny, I have seen so much just how much our children need love, structure, and to be seen. We are all gifted in some way and every human put on this earth struggles, it's important to let them know they have a safe space and someone who cares, someone who sees and supports them! Every day I strive to make that known whether it is in my schools, outside life, or even my own home. Children truly are our future and if we can't teach them love we can't teach them anything at all, for those lessons are the ones that light the way through the struggles, through the uphill battles. They are the ones that will last as a legacy that can be passed on to their children and their children's children. In my few yet seemingly many years I have been blessed with the gifts of getting to see and experience so much, I've been all around the world and have seen kids from many different circumstances shine their beautiful lights in their own true ways where we most need them, sadly most of the world doesn't recognize that. Many people see kids as an annoyance, a hassle, or a chore, I see them as the essence of life, look at a child and try to tell me they can't teach you what it truly is to live! Running through the rain without care for getting their hair wet, playing in the mud and experiencing the earth around them, singing and dancing like no one's watching, this is the gift! Freedom... something we so need from our distracted, digitized world. We don't even realize it but our anxieties are passed onto our children, and freedom has slowly begun to fade away from generation to generation. But we have a choice in that. We can decide what the hands of our future will rest on by not only teaching them but starting with ourselves on how to let love grow! I hope to do this every day in all aspects of my life. A career in social work and counseling will only help me continue my ongoing mission of spreading child-like joy and love into the hearts of those who need it most, especially our kids who have lost that along their way in our world! Recently our family has come over and dealing with these heartaches has been unimaginable for so many families. Soon after the war, my grandfather passed away and I only continue to see and hear more and more stories of the hardship an event that should have never come to be has caused. That is why I am so grateful to be able to speak the language and work alongside newly immigrated families to allow their kids to have a safe space and feel comfortable in a new environment as they must learn the language and how to get along, my people truly are so strong and one way or another we will get through this.

I currently work as a school support specialist in two elementary schools and have been around children all my life. Coming from a big Ukrainian Family and moving around a lot when I was young, it became difficult to find a sense of consistency and structure in our everyday lives. It took me many years into my youth to finally feel like I found somewhere I belonged. That place was with kids. From volunteering at church camps and school events to being in environments with every single age range during my time in a daycare and as a nanny, I have seen so much just how much our children need love, structure, and to be seen. We are all gifted in some way and every human put on this earth struggles, it's important to let them know they have a safe space and someone who cares, someone who sees and supports them! Every day I strive to make that known whether it is in my schools, outside life, or even my own home. Children truly are our future and if we can't teach them love we can't teach them anything at all, for those lessons are the ones that light the way through the struggles, through the uphill battles. They are the ones that will last as a legacy that can be passed on to their children and their children's children. In my few yet seemingly many years I have been blessed with the gifts of getting to see and experience so much, I've been all around the world and have seen kids from many different circumstances shine their beautiful lights in their own true ways where we most need them, sadly most of the world doesn't recognize that. Many people see kids as an annoyance, a hassle, or a chore, I see them as the essence of life, look at a child and try to tell me they can't teach you what it truly is to live! Running through the rain without care for getting their hair wet, playing in the mud and experiencing the earth around them, singing and dancing like no one's watching, this is the gift! Freedom... something we so need from our distracted, digitized world. We don't even realize it but our anxieties are passed onto our children, and freedom has slowly begun to fade away from generation to generation. But we have a choice in that. We can decide what the hands of our future will rest on by not only teaching them but starting with ourselves on how to let love grow! I hope to do this every day in all aspects of my life. A career in social work and counseling will only help me continue my ongoing mission of spreading child-like joy and love into the hearts of those who need it most, especially our kids who have lost that along their way in our world! Recently our family has come over and dealing with these heartaches has been unimaginable for so many families. Soon after the war, my grandfather passed away and I only continue to see and hear more and more stories of the hardship an event that should have never come to be has caused. That is why I am so grateful to be able to speak the language and work alongside newly immigrated families to allow their kids to have a safe space and feel comfortable in a new environment as they must learn the language and how to get along, my people truly are so strong and one way or another we will get through this.

I currently work as a school support specialist in two elementary schools and have been around children all my life. Coming from a big Ukrainian Family and moving around a lot when I was young, it became difficult to find a sense of consistency and structure in our everyday lives. It took me many years into my youth to finally feel like I found somewhere I belonged. That place was with kids. From volunteering at church camps and school events to being in environments with every single age range during my time in a daycare and as a nanny, I have seen so much just how much our children need love, structure, and to be seen. We are all gifted in some way and every human put on this earth struggles, it's important to let them know they have a safe space and someone who cares, someone who sees and supports them! Every day I strive to make that known whether it is in my schools, outside life, or even my own home. Children truly are our future and if we can't teach them love we can't teach them anything at all, for those lessons are the ones that light the way through the struggles, through the uphill battles. They are the ones that will last as a legacy that can be passed on to their children and their children's children. In my few yet seemingly many years I have been blessed with the gifts of getting to see and experience so much, I've been all around the world and have seen kids from many different circumstances shine their beautiful lights in their own true ways where we most need them, sadly most of the world doesn't recognize that. Many people see kids as an annoyance, a hassle, or a chore, I see them as the essence of life, look at a child and try to tell me they can't teach you what it truly is to live! Running through the rain without care for getting their hair wet, playing in the mud and experiencing the earth around them, singing and dancing like no one's watching, this is the gift! Freedom... something we so need from our distracted, digitized world. We don't even realize it but our anxieties are passed onto our children, and freedom has slowly begun to fade away from generation to generation. But we have a choice in that. We can decide what the hands of our future will rest on by not only teaching them but starting with ourselves on how to let love grow! I hope to do this every day in all aspects of my life. A career in social work and counseling will only help me continue my ongoing mission of spreading child-like joy and love into the hearts of those who need it most, especially our kids who have lost that along their way in our world! Recently our family has come over and dealing with these heartaches has been unimaginable for so many families. Soon after the war, my grandfather passed away and I only continue to see and hear more and more stories of the hardship an event that should have never come to be has caused. That is why I am so grateful to be able to speak the language and work alongside newly immigrated families to allow their kids to have a safe space and feel comfortable in a new environment as they must learn the language and how to get along, my people truly are so strong and one way or another we will get through this.

I currently work as a school support specialist in two elementary schools and have been around children all my life. Coming from a big Ukrainian Family and moving around a lot when I was young, it became difficult to find a sense of consistency and structure in our everyday lives. It took me many years into my youth to finally feel like I found somewhere I belonged. That place was with kids. From volunteering at church camps and school events to being in environments with every single age range during my time in a daycare and as a nanny, I have seen so much just how much our children need love, structure, and to be seen. We are all gifted in some way and every human put on this earth struggles, it's important to let them know they have a safe space and someone who cares, someone who sees and supports them! Every day I strive to make that known whether it is in my schools, outside life, or even my own home. Children truly are our future and if we can't teach them love we can't teach them anything at all, for those lessons are the ones that light the way through the struggles, through the uphill battles. They are the ones that will last as a legacy that can be passed on to their children and their children's children. In my few yet seemingly many years I have been blessed with the gifts of getting to see and experience so much, I've been all around the world and have seen kids from many different circumstances shine their beautiful lights in their own true ways where we most need them, sadly most of the world doesn't recognize that. Many people see kids as an annoyance, a hassle, or a chore, I see them as the essence of life, look at a child and try to tell me they can't teach you what it truly is to live! Running through the rain without care for getting their hair wet, playing in the mud and experiencing the earth around them, singing and dancing like no one's watching, this is the gift! Freedom... something we so need from our distracted, digitized world. We don't even realize it but our anxieties are passed onto our children, and freedom has slowly begun to fade away from generation to generation. But we have a choice in that. We can decide what the hands of our future will rest on by not only teaching them but starting with ourselves on how to let love grow! I hope to do this every day in all aspects of my life. A career in social work and counseling will only help me continue my ongoing mission of spreading child-like joy and love into the hearts of those who need it most, especially our kids who have lost that along their way in our world! Recently our family has come over and dealing with these heartaches has been unimaginable for so many families. Soon after the war, my grandfather passed away and I only continue to see and hear more and more stories of the hardship an event that should have never come to be has caused. That is why I am so grateful to be able to speak the language and work alongside newly immigrated families to allow their kids to have a safe space and feel comfortable in a new environment as they must learn the language and how to get along, my people truly are so strong and one way or another we will get through this.

I currently work as a school support specialist in two elementary schools and have been around children all my life. Coming from a big Ukrainian Family and moving around a lot when I was young, it became difficult to find a sense of consistency and structure in our everyday lives. It took me many years into my youth to finally feel like I found somewhere I belonged. That place was with kids. From volunteering at church camps and school events to being in environments with every single age range during my time in a daycare and as a nanny, I have seen so much just how much our children need love, structure, and to be seen. We are all gifted in some way and every human put on this earth struggles, it's important to let them know they have a safe space and someone who cares, someone who sees and supports them! Every day I strive to make that known whether it is in my schools, outside life, or even my own home. Children truly are our future and if we can't teach them love we can't teach them anything at all, for those lessons are the ones that light the way through the struggles, through the uphill battles. They are the ones that will last as a legacy that can be passed on to their children and their children's children. In my few yet seemingly many years I have been blessed with the gifts of getting to see and experience so much, I've been all around the world and have seen kids from many different circumstances shine their beautiful lights in their own true ways where we most need them, sadly most of the world doesn't recognize that. Many people see kids as an annoyance, a hassle, or a chore, I see them as the essence of life, look at a child and try to tell me they can't teach you what it truly is to live! Running through the rain without care for getting their hair wet, playing in the mud and experiencing the earth around them, singing and dancing like no one's watching, this is the gift! Freedom... something we so need from our distracted, digitized world. We don't even realize it but our anxieties are passed onto our children, and freedom has slowly begun to fade away from generation to generation. But we have a choice in that. We can decide what the hands of our future will rest on by not only teaching them but starting with ourselves on how to let love grow! I hope to do this every day in all aspects of my life. A career in social work and counseling will only help me continue my ongoing mission of spreading child-like joy and love into the hearts of those who need it most, especially our kids who have lost that along their way in our world! Recently our family has come over and dealing with these heartaches has been unimaginable for so many families. Soon after the war, my grandfather passed away and I only continue to see and hear more and more stories of the hardship an event that should have never come to be has caused. That is why I am so grateful to be able to speak the language and work alongside newly immigrated families to allow their kids to have a safe space and feel comfortable in a new environment as they must learn the language and how to get along, my people truly are so strong and one way or another we will get through this.

I currently work as a school support specialist in two elementary schools and have been around children all my life. Coming from a big Ukrainian Family and moving around a lot when I was young, it became difficult to find a sense of consistency and structure in our everyday lives. It took me many years into my youth to finally feel like I found somewhere I belonged. That place was with kids. From volunteering at church camps and school events to being in environments with every single age range during my time in a daycare and as a nanny, I have seen so much just how much our children need love, structure, and to be seen. We are all gifted in some way and every human put on this earth struggles, it's important to let them know they have a safe space and someone who cares, someone who sees and supports them! Every day I strive to make that known whether it is in my schools, outside life, or even my own home. Children truly are our future and if we can't teach them love we can't teach them anything at all, for those lessons are the ones that light the way through the struggles, through the uphill battles. They are the ones that will last as a legacy that can be passed on to their children and their children's children. In my few yet seemingly many years I have been blessed with the gifts of getting to see and experience so much, I've been all around the world and have seen kids from many different circumstances shine their beautiful lights in their own true ways where we most need them, sadly most of the world doesn't recognize that. Many people see kids as an annoyance, a hassle, or a chore, I see them as the essence of life, look at a child and try to tell me they can't teach you what it truly is to live! Running through the rain without care for getting their hair wet, playing in the mud and experiencing the earth around them, singing and dancing like no one's watching, this is the gift! Freedom... something we so need from our distracted, digitized world. We don't even realize it but our anxieties are passed onto our children, and freedom has slowly begun to fade away from generation to generation. But we have a choice in that. We can decide what the hands of our future will rest on by not only teaching them but starting with ourselves on how to let love grow! I hope to do this every day in all aspects of my life. A career in social work and counseling will only help me continue my ongoing mission of spreading child-like joy and love into the hearts of those who need it most, especially our kids who have lost that along their way in our world! Recently our family has come over and dealing with these heartaches has been unimaginable for so many families. Soon after the war, my grandfather passed away and I only continue to see and hear more and more stories of the hardship an event that should have never come to be has caused. That is why I am so grateful to be able to speak the language and work alongside newly immigrated families to allow their kids to have a safe space and feel comfortable in a new environment as they must learn the language and how to get along, my people truly are so strong and one way or another we will get through this.

I currently work as a school support specialist in two elementary schools and have been around children all my life. Coming from a big Ukrainian Family and moving around a lot when I was young, it became difficult to find a sense of consistency and structure in our everyday lives. It took me many years into my youth to finally feel like I found somewhere I belonged. That place was with kids. From volunteering at church camps and school events to being in environments with every single age range during my time in a daycare and as a nanny, I have seen so much just how much our children need love, structure, and to be seen. We are all gifted in some way and every human put on this earth struggles, it's important to let them know they have a safe space and someone who cares, someone who sees and supports them! Every day I strive to make that known whether it is in my schools, outside life, or even my own home. Children truly are our future and if we can't teach them love we can't teach them anything at all, for those lessons are the ones that light the way through the struggles, through the uphill battles. They are the ones that will last as a legacy that can be passed on to their children and their children's children. In my few yet seemingly many years I have been blessed with the gifts of getting to see and experience so much, I've been all around the world and have seen kids from many different circumstances shine their beautiful lights in their own true ways where we most need them, sadly most of the world doesn't recognize that. Many people see kids as an annoyance, a hassle, or a chore, I see them as the essence of life, look at a child and try to tell me they can't teach you what it truly is to live! Running through the rain without care for getting their hair wet, playing in the mud and experiencing the earth around them, singing and dancing like no one's watching, this is the gift! Freedom... something we so need from our distracted, digitized world. We don't even realize it but our anxieties are passed onto our children, and freedom has slowly begun to fade away from generation to generation. But we have a choice in that. We can decide what the hands of our future will rest on by not only teaching them but starting with ourselves on how to let love grow! I hope to do this every day in all aspects of my life. A career in social work and counseling will only help me continue my ongoing mission of spreading child-like joy and love into the hearts of those who need it most, especially our kids who have lost that along their way in our world! Recently our family has come over and dealing with these heartaches has been unimaginable for so many families. Soon after the war, my grandfather passed away and I only continue to see and hear more and more stories of the hardship an event that should have never come to be has caused. That is why I am so grateful to be able to speak the language and work alongside newly immigrated families to allow their kids to have a safe space and feel comfortable in a new environment as they must learn the language and how to get along, my people truly are so strong and one way or another we will get through this.

I currently work as a school support specialist in two elementary schools and have been around children all my life. Coming from a big Ukrainian Family and moving around a lot when I was young, it became difficult to find a sense of consistency and structure in our everyday lives. It took me many years into my youth to finally feel like I found somewhere I belonged. That place was with kids. From volunteering at church camps and school events to being in environments with every single age range during my time in a daycare and as a nanny, I have seen so much just how much our children need love, structure, and to be seen. We are all gifted in some way and every human put on this earth struggles, it's important to let them know they have a safe space and someone who cares, someone who sees and supports them! Every day I strive to make that known whether it is in my schools, outside life, or even my own home. Children truly are our future and if we can't teach them love we can't teach them anything at all, for those lessons are the ones that light the way through the struggles, through the uphill battles. They are the ones that will last as a legacy that can be passed on to their children and their children's children. In my few yet seemingly many years I have been blessed with the gifts of getting to see and experience so much, I've been all around the world and have seen kids from many different circumstances shine their beautiful lights in their own true ways where we most need them, sadly most of the world doesn't recognize that. Many people see kids as an annoyance, a hassle, or a chore, I see them as the essence of life, look at a child and try to tell me they can't teach you what it truly is to live! Running through the rain without care for getting their hair wet, playing in the mud and experiencing the earth around them, singing and dancing like no one's watching, this is the gift! Freedom... something we so need from our distracted, digitized world. We don't even realize it but our anxieties are passed onto our children, and freedom has slowly begun to fade away from generation to generation. But we have a choice in that. We can decide what the hands of our future will rest on by not only teaching them but starting with ourselves on how to let love grow! I hope to do this every day in all aspects of my life. A career in social work and counseling will only help me continue my ongoing mission of spreading child-like joy and love into the hearts of those who need it most, especially our kids who have lost that along their way in our world! Recently our family has come over and dealing with these heartaches has been unimaginable for so many families. Soon after the war, my grandfather passed away and I only continue to see and hear more and more stories of the hardship an event that should have never come to be has caused. That is why I am so grateful to be able to speak the language and work alongside newly immigrated families to allow their kids to have a safe space and feel comfortable in a new environment as they must learn the language and how to get along, my people truly are so strong and one way or another we will get through this.

I currently work as a school support specialist in two elementary schools and have been around children all my life. Coming from a big Ukrainian Family and moving around a lot when I was young, it became difficult to find a sense of consistency and structure in our everyday lives. It took me many years into my youth to finally feel like I found somewhere I belonged. That place was with kids. From volunteering at church camps and school events to being in environments with every single age range during my time in a daycare and as a nanny, I have seen so much just how much our children need love, structure, and to be seen. We are all gifted in some way and every human put on this earth struggles, it's important to let them know they have a safe space and someone who cares, someone who sees and supports them! Every day I strive to make that known whether it is in my schools, outside life, or even my own home. Children truly are our future and if we can't teach them love we can't teach them anything at all, for those lessons are the ones that light the way through the struggles, through the uphill battles. They are the ones that will last as a legacy that can be passed on to their children and their children's children. In my few yet seemingly many years I have been blessed with the gifts of getting to see and experience so much, I've been all around the world and have seen kids from many different circumstances shine their beautiful lights in their own true ways where we most need them, sadly most of the world doesn't recognize that. Many people see kids as an annoyance, a hassle, or a chore, I see them as the essence of life, look at a child and try to tell me they can't teach you what it truly is to live! Running through the rain without care for getting their hair wet, playing in the mud and experiencing the earth around them, singing and dancing like no one's watching, this is the gift! Freedom... something we so need from our distracted, digitized world. We don't even realize it but our anxieties are passed onto our children, and freedom has slowly begun to fade away from generation to generation. But we have a choice in that. We can decide what the hands of our future will rest on by not only teaching them but starting with ourselves on how to let love grow! I hope to do this every day in all aspects of my life. A career in social work and counseling will only help me continue my ongoing mission of spreading child-like joy and love into the hearts of those who need it most, especially our kids who have lost that along their way in our world! Recently our family has come over and dealing with these heartaches has been unimaginable for so many families. Soon after the war, my grandfather passed away and I only continue to see and hear more and more stories of the hardship an event that should have never come to be has caused. That is why I am so grateful to be able to speak the language and work alongside newly immigrated families to allow their kids to have a safe space and feel comfortable in a new environment as they must learn the language and how to get along, my people truly are so strong and one way or another we will get through this.

A light and a leader to others, especially the children who are our future!

I currently work as a school support specialist in two elementary schools and have been around children all my life. Coming from a big Ukrainian Family and moving around a lot when I was young, it became difficult to find a sense of consistency and structure in our everyday lives. It took me many years into my youth to finally feel like I found somewhere I belonged. That place was with kids. From volunteering at church camps and school events to being in environments with every single age range during my time in a daycare and as a nanny, I have seen so much just how much our children need love, structure, and to be seen. We are all gifted in some way and every human put on this earth struggles, it's important to let them know they have a safe space and someone who cares, someone who sees and supports them! Every day I strive to make that known whether it is in my schools, outside life, or even my own home. Children truly are our future and if we can't teach them love we can't teach them anything at all, for those lessons are the ones that light the way through the struggles, through the uphill battles. They are the ones that will last as a legacy that can be passed on to their children and their children's children. In my few yet seemingly many years I have been blessed with the gifts of getting to see and experience so much, I've been all around the world and have seen kids from many different circumstances shine their beautiful lights in their own true ways where we most need them, sadly most of the world doesn't recognize that. Many people see kids as an annoyance, a hassle, or a chore, I see them as the essence of life, look at a child and try to tell me they can't teach you what it truly is to live! Running through the rain without care for getting their hair wet, playing in the mud and experiencing the earth around them, singing and dancing like no one's watching, this is the gift! Freedom... something we so need from our distracted, digitized world. We don't even realize it but our anxieties are passed onto our children, and freedom has slowly begun to fade away from generation to generation. But we have a choice in that. We can decide what the hands of our future will rest on by not only teaching them but starting with ourselves on how to let love grow! I hope to do this every day in all aspects of my life. A career in social work and counseling will only help me continue my ongoing mission of spreading child-like joy and love into the hearts of those who need it most, especially our kids who have lost that along their way in our world! Recently our family has come over and dealing with these heartaches has been unimaginable for so many families. Soon after the war, my grandfather passed away and I only continue to see and hear more and more stories of the hardship an event that should have never come to be has caused. That is why I am so grateful to be able to speak the language and work alongside newly immigrated families to allow their kids to have a safe space and feel comfortable in a new environment as they must learn the language and how to get along, my people truly are so strong and one way or another we will get through this.

I currently work as a school support specialist in two elementary schools and have been around children all my life. Coming from a big Ukrainian Family and moving around a lot when I was young, it became difficult to find a sense of consistency and structure in our everyday lives. It took me many years into my youth to finally feel like I found somewhere I belonged. That place was with kids. From volunteering at church camps and school events to being in environments with every single age range during my time in a daycare and as a nanny, I have seen so much just how much our children need love, structure, and to be seen. We are all gifted in some way and every human put on this earth struggles, it's important to let them know they have a safe space and someone who cares, someone who sees and supports them! Every day I strive to make that known whether it is in my schools, outside life, or even my own home. Children truly are our future and if we can't teach them love we can't teach them anything at all, for those lessons are the ones that light the way through the struggles, through the uphill battles. They are the ones that will last as a legacy that can be passed on to their children and their children's children. In my few yet seemingly many years I have been blessed with the gifts of getting to see and experience so much, I've been all around the world and have seen kids from many different circumstances shine their beautiful lights in their own true ways where we most need them, sadly most of the world doesn't recognize that. Many people see kids as an annoyance, a hassle, or a chore, I see them as the essence of life, look at a child and try to tell me they can't teach you what it truly is to live! Running through the rain without care for getting their hair wet, playing in the mud and experiencing the earth around them, singing and dancing like no one's watching, this is the gift! Freedom... something we so need from our distracted, digitized world. We don't even realize it but our anxieties are passed onto our children, and freedom has slowly begun to fade away from generation to generation. But we have a choice in that. We can decide what the hands of our future will rest on by not only teaching them but starting with ourselves on how to let love grow! I hope to do this every day in all aspects of my life. A career in social work and counseling will only help me continue my ongoing mission of spreading child-like joy and love into the hearts of those who need it most, especially our kids who have lost that along their way in our world! Recently our family has come over and dealing with these heartaches has been unimaginable for so many families. Soon after the war, my grandfather passed away and I only continue to see and hear more and more stories of the hardship an event that should have never come to be has caused. That is why I am so grateful to be able to speak the language and work alongside newly immigrated families to allow their kids to have a safe space and feel comfortable in a new environment as they must learn the language and how to get along, my people truly are so strong and one way or another we will get through this.

I currently work as a school support specialist in two elementary schools and have been around children all my life. Coming from a big Ukrainian Family and moving around a lot when I was young, it became difficult to find a sense of consistency and structure in our everyday lives. It took me many years into my youth to finally feel like I found somewhere I belonged. That place was with kids. From volunteering at church camps and school events to being in environments with every single age range during my time in a daycare and as a nanny, I have seen so much just how much our children need love, structure, and to be seen. We are all gifted in some way and every human put on this earth struggles, it's important to let them know they have a safe space and someone who cares, someone who sees and supports them! Every day I strive to make that known whether it is in my schools, outside life, or even my own home. Children truly are our future and if we can't teach them love we can't teach them anything at all, for those lessons are the ones that light the way through the struggles, through the uphill battles. They are the ones that will last as a legacy that can be passed on to their children and their children's children. In my few yet seemingly many years I have been blessed with the gifts of getting to see and experience so much, I've been all around the world and have seen kids from many different circumstances shine their beautiful lights in their own true ways where we most need them, sadly most of the world doesn't recognize that. Many people see kids as an annoyance, a hassle, or a chore, I see them as the essence of life, look at a child and try to tell me they can't teach you what it truly is to live! Running through the rain without care for getting their hair wet, playing in the mud and experiencing the earth around them, singing and dancing like no one's watching, this is the gift! Freedom... something we so need from our distracted, digitized world. We don't even realize it but our anxieties are passed onto our children, and freedom has slowly begun to fade away from generation to generation. But we have a choice in that. We can decide what the hands of our future will rest on by not only teaching them but starting with ourselves on how to let love grow! I hope to do this every day in all aspects of my life. A career in social work and counseling will only help me continue my ongoing mission of spreading child-like joy and love into the hearts of those who need it most, especially our kids who have lost that along their way in our world! Recently our family has come over and dealing with these heartaches has been unimaginable for so many families. Soon after the war, my grandfather passed away and I only continue to see and hear more and more stories of the hardship an event that should have never come to be has caused. That is why I am so grateful to be able to speak the language and work alongside newly immigrated families to allow their kids to have a safe space and feel comfortable in a new environment as they must learn the language and how to get along, my people truly are so strong and one way or another we will get through this.

I currently work as a school support specialist in two elementary schools and have been around children all my life. Coming from a big Ukrainian Family and moving around a lot when I was young, it became difficult to find a sense of consistency and structure in our everyday lives. It took me many years into my youth to finally feel like I found somewhere I belonged. That place was with kids. From volunteering at church camps and school events to being in environments with every single age range during my time in a daycare and as a nanny, I have seen so much just how much our children need love, structure, and to be seen. We are all gifted in some way and every human put on this earth struggles, it's important to let them know they have a safe space and someone who cares, someone who sees and supports them! Every day I strive to make that known whether it is in my schools, outside life, or even my own home. Children truly are our future and if we can't teach them love we can't teach them anything at all, for those lessons are the ones that light the way through the struggles, through the uphill battles. They are the ones that will last as a legacy that can be passed on to their children and their children's children. In my few yet seemingly many years I have been blessed with the gifts of getting to see and experience so much, I've been all around the world and have seen kids from many different circumstances shine their beautiful lights in their own true ways where we most need them, sadly most of the world doesn't recognize that. Many people see kids as an annoyance, a hassle, or a chore, I see them as the essence of life, look at a child and try to tell me they can't teach you what it truly is to live! Running through the rain without care for getting their hair wet, playing in the mud and experiencing the earth around them, singing and dancing like no one's watching, this is the gift! Freedom... something we so need from our distracted, digitized world. We don't even realize it but our anxieties are passed onto our children, and freedom has slowly begun to fade away from generation to generation. But we have a choice in that. We can decide what the hands of our future will rest on by not only teaching them but starting with ourselves on how to let love grow! I hope to do this every day in all aspects of my life. A career in social work and counseling will only help me continue my ongoing mission of spreading child-like joy and love into the hearts of those who need it most, especially our kids who have lost that along their way in our world! Recently our family has come over and dealing with these heartaches has been unimaginable for so many families. Soon after the war, my grandfather passed away and I only continue to see and hear more and more stories of the hardship an event that should have never come to be has caused. That is why I am so grateful to be able to speak the language and work alongside newly immigrated families to allow their kids to have a safe space and feel comfortable in a new environment as they must learn the language and how to get along, my people truly are so strong and one way or another we will get through this.

I currently work as a school support specialist in two elementary schools and have been around children all my life. Coming from a big Ukrainian Family and moving around a lot when I was young, it became difficult to find a sense of consistency and structure in our everyday lives. It took me many years into my youth to finally feel like I found somewhere I belonged. That place was with kids. From volunteering at church camps and school events to being in environments with every single age range during my time in a daycare and as a nanny, I have seen so much just how much our children need love, structure, and to be seen. We are all gifted in some way and every human put on this earth struggles, it's important to let them know they have a safe space and someone who cares, someone who sees and supports them! Every day I strive to make that known whether it is in my schools, outside life, or even my own home. Children truly are our future and if we can't teach them love we can't teach them anything at all, for those lessons are the ones that light the way through the struggles, through the uphill battles. They are the ones that will last as a legacy that can be passed on to their children and their children's children. In my few yet seemingly many years I have been blessed with the gifts of getting to see and experience so much, I've been all around the world and have seen kids from many different circumstances shine their beautiful lights in their own true ways where we most need them, sadly most of the world doesn't recognize that. Many people see kids as an annoyance, a hassle, or a chore, I see them as the essence of life, look at a child and try to tell me they can't teach you what it truly is to live! Running through the rain without care for getting their hair wet, playing in the mud and experiencing the earth around them, singing and dancing like no one's watching, this is the gift! Freedom... something we so need from our distracted, digitized world. We don't even realize it but our anxieties are passed onto our children, and freedom has slowly begun to fade away from generation to generation. But we have a choice in that. We can decide what the hands of our future will rest on by not only teaching them but starting with ourselves on how to let love grow! I hope to do this every day in all aspects of my life. A career in social work and counseling will only help me continue my ongoing mission of spreading child-like joy and love into the hearts of those who need it most, especially our kids who have lost that along their way in our world! Recently our family has come over and dealing with these heartaches has been unimaginable for so many families. Soon after the war, my grandfather passed away and I only continue to see and hear more and more stories of the hardship an event that should have never come to be has caused. That is why I am so grateful to be able to speak the language and work alongside newly immigrated families to allow their kids to have a safe space and feel comfortable in a new environment as they must learn the language and how to get along, my people truly are so strong and one way or another we will get through this.

I currently work as a school support specialist in two elementary schools and have been around children all my life. Coming from a big Ukrainian Family and moving around a lot when I was young, it became difficult to find a sense of consistency and structure in our everyday lives. It took me many years into my youth to finally feel like I found somewhere I belonged. That place was with kids. From volunteering at church camps and school events to being in environments with every single age range during my time in a daycare and as a nanny, I have seen so much just how much our children need love, structure, and to be seen. We are all gifted in some way and every human put on this earth struggles, it's important to let them know they have a safe space and someone who cares, someone who sees and supports them! Every day I strive to make that known whether it is in my schools, outside life, or even my own home. Children truly are our future and if we can't teach them love we can't teach them anything at all, for those lessons are the ones that light the way through the struggles, through the uphill battles. They are the ones that will last as a legacy that can be passed on to their children and their children's children. In my few yet seemingly many years I have been blessed with the gifts of getting to see and experience so much, I've been all around the world and have seen kids from many different circumstances shine their beautiful lights in their own true ways where we most need them, sadly most of the world doesn't recognize that. Many people see kids as an annoyance, a hassle, or a chore, I see them as the essence of life, look at a child and try to tell me they can't teach you what it truly is to live! Running through the rain without care for getting their hair wet, playing in the mud and experiencing the earth around them, singing and dancing like no one's watching, this is the gift! Freedom... something we so need from our distracted, digitized world. We don't even realize it but our anxieties are passed onto our children, and freedom has slowly begun to fade away from generation to generation. But we have a choice in that. We can decide what the hands of our future will rest on by not only teaching them but starting with ourselves on how to let love grow! I hope to do this every day in all aspects of my life. A career in social work and counseling will only help me continue my ongoing mission of spreading child-like joy and love into the hearts of those who need it most, especially our kids who have lost that along their way in our world! Recently our family has come over and dealing with these heartaches has been unimaginable for so many families. Soon after the war, my grandfather passed away and I only continue to see and hear more and more stories of the hardship an event that should have never come to be has caused. That is why I am so grateful to be able to speak the language and work alongside newly immigrated families to allow their kids to have a safe space and feel comfortable in a new environment as they must learn the language and how to get along, my people truly are so strong and one way or another we will get through this.

I currently work as a school support specialist in two elementary schools and have been around children all my life. Coming from a big Ukrainian Family and moving around a lot when I was young, it became difficult to find a sense of consistency and structure in our everyday lives. It took me many years into my youth to finally feel like I found somewhere I belonged. That place was with kids. From volunteering at church camps and school events to being in environments with every single age range during my time in a daycare and as a nanny, I have seen so much just how much our children need love, structure, and to be seen. We are all gifted in some way and every human put on this earth struggles, it's important to let them know they have a safe space and someone who cares, someone who sees and supports them! Every day I strive to make that known whether it is in my schools, outside life, or even my own home. Children truly are our future and if we can't teach them love we can't teach them anything at all, for those lessons are the ones that light the way through the struggles, through the uphill battles. They are the ones that will last as a legacy that can be passed on to their children and their children's children. In my few yet seemingly many years I have been blessed with the gifts of getting to see and experience so much, I've been all around the world and have seen kids from many different circumstances shine their beautiful lights in their own true ways where we most need them, sadly most of the world doesn't recognize that. Many people see kids as an annoyance, a hassle, or a chore, I see them as the essence of life, look at a child and try to tell me they can't teach you what it truly is to live! Running through the rain without care for getting their hair wet, playing in the mud and experiencing the earth around them, singing and dancing like no one's watching, this is the gift! Freedom... something we so need from our distracted, digitized world. We don't even realize it but our anxieties are passed onto our children, and freedom has slowly begun to fade away from generation to generation. But we have a choice in that. We can decide what the hands of our future will rest on by not only teaching them but starting with ourselves on how to let love grow! I hope to do this every day in all aspects of my life. A career in social work and counseling will only help me continue my ongoing mission of spreading child-like joy and love into the hearts of those who need it most, especially our kids who have lost that along their way in our world!

I currently work as a school support specialist in two elementary schools and have been around children all my life. Coming from a big Ukrainian Family and moving around a lot when I was young, it became difficult to find a sense of consistency and structure in our everyday lives. It took me many years into my youth to finally feel like I found somewhere I belonged. That place was with kids. From volunteering at church camps and school events to being in environments with every single age range during my time in a daycare and as a nanny, I have seen so much just how much our children need love, structure, and to be seen. We are all gifted in some way and every human put on this earth struggles, it's important to let them know they have a safe space and someone who cares, someone who sees and supports them! Every day I strive to make that known whether it is in my schools, outside life, or even my own home. Children truly are our future and if we can't teach them love we can't teach them anything at all, for those lessons are the ones that light the way through the struggles, through the uphill battles. They are the ones that will last as a legacy that can be passed on to their children and their children's children. In my few yet seemingly many years I have been blessed with the gifts of getting to see and experience so much, I've been all around the world and have seen kids from many different circumstances shine their beautiful lights in their own true ways where we most need them, sadly most of the world doesn't recognize that. Many people see kids as an annoyance, a hassle, or a chore, I see them as the essence of life, look at a child and try to tell me they can't teach you what it truly is to live! Running through the rain without care for getting their hair wet, playing in the mud and experiencing the earth around them, singing and dancing like no one's watching, this is the gift! Freedom... something we so need from our distracted, digitized world. We don't even realize it but our anxieties are passed onto our children, and freedom has slowly begun to fade away from generation to generation. But we have a choice in that. We can decide what the hands of our future will rest on by not only teaching them but starting with ourselves on how to let love grow! I hope to do this every day in all aspects of my life. A career in social work and counseling will only help me continue my ongoing mission of spreading child-like joy and love into the hearts of those who need it most, especially our kids who have lost that along their way in our world!

Storytelling. It's a skill that takes talent, and anyone who knows Taylor well enough or has at least listened to some of her songs will tell you that she's one of the most powerful storytellers out there. I have so many fond memories of all her songs or her moving stories I'll call them. I can still remember being a kid jamming out with my older cousin to Wildest Dreams and thinking it was the best thing I'd heard in my life. And although it's a tough match between her more popular beats like blank space and the one mentioned above on the 1989 album, my winner is going to have to be her underrated debut finale of the record-breaking album... Clean. All of Taylor's songs are always so good that it's easy for some of the more powerful storytelling ones to get swept into the shadows and I don't think this one got the recognition it deserved. From the moment the melody starts you can just tell that Clean is captivating, intriguing, and honestly just timeless. And although every story has its own interpretation I think the main message revolves around starting new. I think in a way every single album for Taylor has been about a fresh start, a marker of hope that time and time again shows she survived her struggles, she survived! It can be hard not to go back but her focus is on moving forward. "The drought was the very worst When the flowers that we'd grown together died of thirst" Gosh, even just these words give me the chills, how poetic and powerful her symbolic storytelling is. To me, this encapsulates the idea of 2 steps forward and 3 steps back, how sometimes in life we can try and fail a million times before we get it, and how no matter how hard you work things can still go wrong. Those moments are difficult but build in us our resilience. This song captures so much the essence of seasons in our lives, when things get hard yet somehow through the storms we can find ourselves stronger. "The water filled my lungs I screamed so loud But no one heard a thing" It can get lonely sometimes, and when you're stuck in the struggle it can be hard to see a way out, to even see that anyone cares, the world starts to feel bigger and you start to feel smaller and smaller as you fade into your struggles, but there is hope. The next verse goes on to say... "Rain came pouring down When I was drowning, that's when I could finally breathe" Once again wow! I've written poetry along these lines but it's nowhere near as refreshing as Taylor's power in song, in purpose! It shows that our pain has a purpose and after the storm, there is finally a sense of peace, a reminder that so many people who are in the midst of struggle need to hear! There's a reason so many of Taylor's songs have resonated with the world, and I think this is one that should be listened to again, a message that should be heard! For music is healing, and this song shines as a beacon of hope for the hard times. Everyone has the chance to start clean even after the messiest chapter, it doesn't mean we forget, for every day is a part of our story, but we have plenty of blank spaces on new pages to continue to write our wildest dreams!

Without Math where would our evergrowing world be! But to me it comes down to caring about our world! I've had my awakening on the damage we as a collective have had on the planet years ago. And it's only up to us to make that change. From researching and writing papers to teaching the kids around me about the impact that we can have on our home and just how much that means; I am continuing to improve the way I live my life alongside others every day in this great big world of ours. The reasons are obvious, the "Why" is there. If only more people would see it enough to unite as a human race and change the damaging industry standards in order to pave the way for a brighter, cleaner, healthier planet for our future, our children. The trash we throw out comes back in the food we're eating, the water we're drinking, and most importantly the delicate balance of the very air we're breathing. From overproduction to waste and even plain ignorance there's so much we're doing wrong, and it hurts, not only the hearts of those who care but of mother nature everywhere. It's up to us, not to be perfect but to strive for progress and take profit out of the equation when it comes to our planet because the only way we will prosper is when she is in a peaceful condition. For what we need is a powerful prescription and it's written on the walls... CHANGE. When we're taking care of our planet, think of the true glory it will bring, a value that outlasts gold, in which was created by the creator so we can't blame God, this is our doing. Change. How can we change? I've started by having conversations, but what speaks more loudly than leading by example for actions will say a million times more than words ever will. Personally, I pray for perfection for that standard is what keeps us motivated to grow and climb for worthy achievement, especially when it comes to something so imperative, the deadline is there and it ends with us dead I'll put it there but think about the legacy, is that really all we'll leave behind, more problems for the next people to worry about? Where's the sense of purpose in that? There is none, and that's what motivates me to educate myself, adapt, eat more plant-based, carry my refillable water bottle with me wherever I go, clean with clean ingredients, and be mindful of how much water I let down the drain. Constantly adapting and reminding myself what we truly stand to lose and the pain. It starts with efficiency, making it manageable will motivate you to choose change. And after volunteering with Up With Trees by planting, pruning, and taking care of the beauties that make our world go round, I can never see trees the same. I'm grateful for every hot sweaty day with my hands in the dirt or the ice-cold mornings picking up sticks in the mud, for it has taught me more so to live in it and to truly live in our nature is what we need to do. Once we get our heads out of our screens and truly start to see what we stand to lose is when people will start to implement true change, side by side nature photography of the effects we've had helps make them care, and that's something I do, photograph our world to capture the beauty of what it truly has to offer us, life.

I've had my awakening on the damage we as a collective have had on the planet years ago. And it's only up to us to make that change. From researching and writing papers to teaching the kids around me about the impact that we can have on our home and just how much that means; I am continuing to improve the way I live my life alongside others every day in this great big world of ours. The reasons are obvious, the "Why" is there. If only more people would see it enough to unite as a human race and change the damaging industry standards in order to pave the way for a brighter, cleaner, healthier planet for our future, our children. The trash we throw out comes back in the food we're eating, the water we're drinking, and most importantly the delicate balance of the very air we're breathing. From overproduction to waste and even plain ignorance there's so much we're doing wrong, and it hurts, not only the hearts of those who care but of mother nature everywhere. It's up to us, not to be perfect but to strive for progress and take profit out of the equation when it comes to our planet because the only way we will prosper is when she is in a peaceful condition. For what we need is a powerful prescription and it's written on the walls... CHANGE. When we're taking care of our planet, think of the true glory it will bring, a value that outlasts gold, in which was created by the creator so we can't blame God, this is our doing. Change. How can we change? I've started by having conversations, but what speaks more loudly than leading by example for actions will say a million times more than words ever will. Personally, I pray for perfection for that standard is what keeps us motivated to grow and climb for worthy achievement, especially when it comes to something so imperative, the deadline is there and it ends with us dead I'll put it there but think about the legacy, is that really all we'll leave behind, more problems for the next people to worry about? Where's the sense of purpose in that? There is none, and that's what motivates me to educate myself, adapt, eat more plant-based, carry my refillable water bottle with me wherever I go, clean with clean ingredients, and be mindful of how much water I let down the drain. Constantly adapting and reminding myself what we truly stand to lose and the pain. It starts with efficiency, making it manageable will motivate you to choose change. And after volunteering with Up With Trees by planting, pruning, and taking care of the beauties that make our world go round, I can never see trees the same. I'm grateful for every hot sweaty day with my hands in the dirt or the ice-cold mornings picking up sticks in the mud, for it has taught me more so to live in it and to truly live in our nature is what we need to do. Once we get our heads out of our screens and truly start to see what we stand to lose is when people will start to implement true change, side by side nature photography of the effects we've had helps make them care, and that's something I do, photograph our world to capture the beauty of what it truly has to offer us, life.