The dark academia side of BookTok is where I find myself most comfortable. The first book I read from BookTok was The Secret History with the introduction of the book still ringing in my ears: "The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation." This sound bit became popular among the dark academia style and also among Classic novel readers, and it was seen as a more "proper" side of the booktok community. I was hooked after The Secret History and concurrently searched for similar books. Bunny was the next book I read, a less popular book but could still be found among BookTok. A crazy novel of cliches and witch craft that consumed my thoughts for several days. I think this genre became popular among TikTok because of its realness: having the appearance of familiar situations with curves and twists that enlightened the reader's senses, making their life feel like more. These books brought horror, yes, but also comfort, like the Dead Poets Society. Death is a prevalent part of the book but readers appeared to find comfort in that. Dark academia books (Ninth House, If We Were Villains, The Atlas Six, The Golden Fitch, The Picture of Dorian Gray) gave readers in a community a fascinating and beautiful story while also making it seem real and somewhat attainable. And therefore, these books became a comfort to readers. Another genre that became a comfort to BookTok readers were romance novels (. Once again, the books in this genre recommended by BookTok gave readers an experience of love in way that may not be seen in their everyday lives, allowing them to find comfort in the words they were reading. The Summer of Broken Rules is a perfect example of this: a closed book romance that gives cute relationship moments while having a surrounding family relationship vacation. It gave the perfect, bubbly feeling of summer without too much touching in bed between our two lovers. The Summer I Turned Pretty also gave a summer romance with a twist of relationship drama that readers fell in love with, while also having a younger main character. Young adults and adults alike found themselves immersed in the feeling of summer and drama between summer romances while also making it relatable with the family drama that takes place, allowing readers to connect. A mixture of these genres also brings different sides of the BookTok community together; specifically, Where the Crawdads Sing. The use of the Taylor Swift song of course peeked interest among Swifities and romance lovers but the writing is considered a classic novel, introducing two different BookTok sides together, allowing them to see a new perspective. Therefore, my ideal bookshelf has a mixture of dark academia, classics, and closed door romance as it allows me to experience elevated life experiences while also still feeling connected to the stories taking place: something I know the BookTok community also enjoys. Above all else, BookTok has re-introduced reading to generations in a relatable and enjoyable package that has positively effected both authors and booksellers.

Upon first entering High School, I was reminded by friends and family to go into a profession that was defined by success. Originally, my definition for success was a job that paid a lot; a definition shared by most of my peers. It wasn't until my junior year of high school that this definition was redefined for me by a teacher that also changed a lot of the ways I had originally viewed the world. The question was brought up at the end of school year in my AP Seminar class (a small class of eight people): who in this room is going to be the most successful? My peers almost automatically said my name because I was perceived as smart because of the work I produced in that class. I didn't say anything back; little did they know that I wanted to be a teacher, something that was generally looked down upon. I felt embarrassed and found myself looking at my feet, despite the several pairs of eyes pointed at my head. My teacher smiled, took a moment to consider the question, and gave a answer that would stick with me during a lot of my important decisions: "Success is not always defined by how much money a person makes; money is a only a small pillar in the building our happiness. For me, success is seen through my students achievements and despite my small paycheck, I'm happy with my life." This was the sentence I was waiting for one person in my life to say to cement my ambitions of an education major in college. But before this English teacher, I tended to push away the thought of becoming a teacher. While I was delighted at the thought of being a teacher in elementary school, I struggled to connect with peers during middle school and the beginning of high school and therefore was scared I would never connect with my students. During my last three years of high school, however, my teachers played such a prominent role in my life, I just felt a need to follow in their footsteps. In funny to think I was scared of teaching though. In my pre-calculus class, I found myself helping my peers understand methods. Them laughing and saying how I was a better teacher than the one we have. When asked in AP Literature and Composition what my major in college would be, them agreeing because I was the reason they were never confused in that class. Little things like that in class that showed me that I was making the right choice: that even now with these little teaching moments, I was making a tiny difference in a student's life. Additionally, the teaching world is struggling right now. It appears that more and more teachers are leaving the field because of the conditions they face. I no longer look at this field with fear though because just like my English teacher who made such a difference in my life, I want to be there for my future students. Nothing cuts deeper than failed ambition because you didn't have at least one person supporting you; every student deserves that one person to push them and support them to that next stage of life, and I want to make sure they have that person. So while teaching is not defined by it's abundance of financial success, our success is seen through our students, and I can't wait to have a classroom of my own.

My love for education has been a forever part of my life. In elementary school, I always said I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up because I loved mine so much. As I grew older though, I started to feel like that field was not right for me. I struggled to connect with my peers and, consequently, I felt like I would never be able to connect with my future students. While this mental block shifted my career goal to being an illustrator for books, being a teacher stayed in the back of my mind. It wasn't until my sophomore year of high school when this aspiration floated to the surface of my consciousness. My freshman year was a mental struggle; I chose to switch into standard classes because I didn't know if I would able to handle the stress of honors. I ultimately suffered because of this choice because I never was able to connect with my peers, and I felt like an outsider. But, one of my teachers saw how well I worked in class compared to the other students and pushed me to transfer to honors classes my sophomore year. One of these teachers the following year would change my life: my tall, socially anxious, English teacher. His teaching style was unlike any other teacher I had previously had and to be honest it blew my mind how easily he could make things understandable despite their complex appearance. And more importantly, he never let his students struggle in silence. He had a way of knowing what a student may be going through and gave some of the greatest pep talks a student could ask for: to elevate the mind and uplift the soul. He just had a way of knowing what a student needed. During this first year, I was able to hear his personal story of how he started teaching. He never intended on teaching for a career; he went to college for biology and English and ended up in an office job proof reading papers and magazines. He wasn't happy with his life and during this depressive period, he turned to teaching. I would go on to have this teacher for three more years. And during these years, I realized the thought of me not being able to connect with my possible future students was no true reason to keep me from teaching. But more importantly, this teacher taught me that life will not always be easy no matter how a person displays their life. Through my future years of teaching, I want to uplift students and to let them know they are understood. Nothing kills ambition or creativity more than not having that one person there to help you through your toughest moments, and I know from experience how important it is for teachers to be that one person. I specifically want to teach English because of my love of books and literature but also to be able to take on the AP Capstone program at my previous school or perhaps start up the program at an additional school. Through my years of AP Seminar and AP Research, I was taught not only the fundamentals of writing but also critical thinking. Skills like time management or how to prioritize tasks: skills that don't go away after high school. I just loved the program enough that I wanted to go back to it and help students find their passion for exploring and writing. I just hope to one day make a change in students lives, even if it's just one student.

My drive for education came from two very special teachers. "Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but—I hope—into a better shape" —Great Expectations. I think that quote from one of my teacher's favorite books describes my situation perfectly. I have always been a "smart" kid so through elementary and middle school, I was put into advanced classes. However, when I reached high school and was given the choice to go into normal classes, my parents pushed me to take the easier ones because "there was no reason for me to make it harder on myself for a simple diploma". I was miserable my freshman year of high school because of this decision: I was surrounded by students who did not care nor had a drive to learn. I not only struggled to talk in my classes because of the type of students in them, I also became self conscious about the way I looked and acted, making it hard for me to do things in class. Thankfully, one of my teachers recognized my abilities after reading a short story that was for my English class; even though she was my history teacher, she offered to proof read it. I later found out that she made photo copies and passed them around to various teachers because she thought the story was good enough to share; I was embarrassed to say the least. She later pulled me into one of the neighboring classrooms that belonged to an English teacher who was a good friend of hers. He said that he felt I was wasting what academic potential I had and pushed me to take harder classes the following year. More specifically, his English ll class. The kindness from these two teachers did not just stop my freshman year. I have had my English teacher for three years now, and he has taught me more than just the required curriculum: life skills and compassion for others. I take AP classes because of them and have kept my 4.0 GPA despite my parents beliefs. I will also hopefully get a AP Capstone diploma at the end of the year and have gotten top marks on my AP capstone programs because of my teacher. And, most importantly, I figured out what I wanted to do with my life. I am now a student aid to both of them as my last class of the day, and I enjoy every second of it. I get to joke with my favorite teachers while understanding the atmosphere and duties needed in a classroom. When I am going through a tough time, I know that they will understand me and offer guiding advice. To think that I would not be where I am now because of those two teachers; I also would not have read Great Expectations if not for my teacher's plea for me to give it a try (glad I did). But, drive alone is not enough to become a teacher. I understand that student dynamics are changing, and it is getting harder for teachers to stay in the profession. Despite this, I am readying and willing to make a change in the classroom just like my past teachers have done for me. I love school just like my teachers do, and I hope I can be the same change my teachers were for me. Even more, if I could teacher with my past teachers, I think I would be the happiest person in the world.

The song that I feel represents my senior year the most is "Out of the Woods." Even though this song has a stronger symbolism of love in a relationship, I find myself connecting it to the struggles that come with senior year. In the beginning, "Looking at it now it all seems so simple," I connect this most with my realization that I am no longer a freshman starting high school; the lyrics that follow, "the rest of the world was black and white but we were in screaming color," shows my optimism as a student to accomplish much this year. For every "Are we out of the woods year," I associate it with every struggle I have faced so far in my senior year, whether it be school or emotionally related; I find myself struggling in my senior year because of that original optimism in the beginning that produced expectations to go above my past achievements. Therefore, with every "Are we out of the woods yet," it becomes more dire to get out or, to put it simply, to graduate. The section "We were built to fall apart then fall back together" relates to why struggle through school work—the cycle of breaking down or getting frustrated only to build an understanding after time with the material. "Two paper airplanes flying" connects most with my athletic achievements of this year: my ability to continue to accomplish much in that area of my life despite my brain wanting to "get out of the woods." Furthermore, "Remember when you couldn't take the heat" to "But the monsters turned out to be just trees" resonates most with my academic fears, going through classes drained and fearful only to come out just fine from the assignments and class. And, finally, "In the clear yet, good" would represent my winter break which marks the end of my first semester and also symbolizes the release of academic pressure. By completing half of my required classes, I enter "the clear" which is my break only to enter the woods again to repeat the cycle for my next semester of classes. "I Know Places" has a smaller representation of my year, relating mostly to my ability to find time in my life to escape from academics. "Love's a fragile little flame, it could burn out" while having a strong loving connotation symbolizes my fragile love for academics because it tended to cause burnout. As a result, "I know places we can hide" represents the things in my life that helped me get away from academics and keep my mental stability through my senior year; "the places" are most likely my sport or art which are two of the bigger focal points of my life outside school academics. For me, the biggest part of my senior year has been my academics as they have for the past four years of life. These songs, as a result despite their symbolism of a love relationship, connect to my relationship with academics and surrounding events such as my sport and hobbies. But, I know eventually, I'll get out of the woods, I'm just not in the clear yet.

I had a teacher who changed my life, and I believe the only way to thank that teacher properly is to also become a teacher. My decision was made undeniable after a conversation he had with our AP Seminar class at the end of the year: "Some of you will grow to be successful in ways that most people define it; however, not everyone's success looks the same. Happiness does not always mean money. Happiness and success can be a stable job and a cat to go home to. Do not be weighed down by the pressure to achieve what most believe to be success and instead find what success means to you." I want to inspire other youth in the same way he inspired me by teaching AP Capstone classes—that's what my success would be. Through AP Capstone, I want to inspire a love of learning in the same way my teacher did for me and ultimately help them develop passions that will drive them to their future success.

As a child, whenever I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I would answer with teacher because I loved my so much. I was always so happy to be able to help grade or pass back papers because I felt like a teacher. This changed as I entered middle school because I felt like I would not be able to handle it. Entering my freshman year of high school, my parents made me take the standard track for classes because they felt I would not be able to handle the workload of honors even though I had been in honors classes since middle school. I found myself depressed because of the people I was surrounded by: disrespecting teachers, not caring about their work, and looking down on anybody who showed interest in class. In English one time, I answered an analysis question which was considering why the main character did a certain action; I heard laughter from the back row of the classroom and the subtle mocking of what I said. I never raised my hand again in that class. But, this changed when I showed my history teacher the story I was writing for English to be proofread. The assignment was to write a story based on a painting, and my history teacher loved it so much that she made photocopies of it and passed it around to all the other teachers she felt would enjoy it too. One of those teachers is my current AP Capstone teacher: the reason I am now taking honors/AP classes and happy. I had never met a teacher so willing to be there for his students both for learning and emotional reasons. When I was at my lowest in my Junior year, he pulled me aside in class to tell me he was worried about me. I had been working myself to death for my AP seminar and AP statistics class because I felt I had to prove myself. He told me he saw a lot of himself in me, and that's why he told me that I needed to take a step back from my work and allow time for myself. I had started not being able to answer questions in class, and he said I looked white as a ghost some days. He did a similar thing with his job, staying late nights at school to grade and plan. My teacher's compassion and care to take a moment to tell me to take care of myself made me change my way of thinking. He is the reason I want to teach because I look up to him so much as a teacher. Teachers have always played an important role in my life, but the way he teaches made me realize that I want to teach too. I have always loved the academic atmosphere of the school and when asked, my peers usually say I'll be one of the most successful people in my grade and make a lot of money. But once again, my mind was changed by something my teacher said: "Happiness isn't really measured by money or success. Happiness for me, for example, is having a cat and books to read." In short, I would like to give back to the community that has done so much for me and maybe even teach alongside some of my favorite people. Students deserve excited adults as teachers, and I want to be one.

I started taking art seriously in 5th grade after my middle school art teacher persuaded me to buy a personal sketchbook to start practicing in. I had always been better at art than most of the kids in my grade but never a naturally gifted artist. But, one of the reasons why I started taking art seriously was because of the reactions of people when they saw my art. In 7th grade, I painted my grandmother a cow for Christmas and three days later she proudly hung it on her living room wall; I couldn't get over that smile on her face when she unwrapped it. That is why I make art: to make people happy. I draw silly pictures for my friends in class when they are feeling stressed or sad because they immediately light up at the sight of a caricature of our teacher. My favorite teacher commonly gets meme drawings of him that he happily laughs at in the mornings before class. I took my art one step forward by taking AP art and started to understand another level of why I create art: to display a deeper meaning or concept. I loved how I could display a complex topic in a watercolor painting or colored pencil drawing. People started to look at my art differently, and I was proud of myself because people looked at my art and saw connections instead of amusement. My first piece in high school that made me think differently about art was a self-portrait that couldn't include a picture of ourselves. I thought more on an emotional level for this piece, something that would evoke the happiest moments in my life. I chose to have the background be a bowling alley since I had been on the team for a year by then and have the main focus be my pet cockatiel to be the character to represent myself; I then surrounded the cockatiel with Sanrio characters because they had become a center of happiness in my life. I was extremely proud of this piece and my teacher loved it because it displayed the type of personality I had for my class. I also choose to make art of things I like such as birds. I chose to use birds as my first AP art portfolio because I loved them so much, finding a way to make connections to people through an animal I was passionate about. But even more than the surface of emotional connections to art, I envision my future relationships with art being that of an art teacher. In college, I plan to double-major but with the ultimate goal of teaching; art is one of two fields I plan on going into. I want to help others develop their love of art like my teacher has so graciously helped me. Art isn't the same for everyone and sometimes students can find themselves struggling in an art class because the teacher dislikes the art produced by the student; as a teacher, I want to prevent this. Art and creativity is a precious concepts that should be nurtured through our youth; I can only hope that one day I will be able to help students achieve their artistic goals.

As a child when teachers asked me what I wanted to be when I was older, I would always joyfully answer with "teacher." This answer changed as I transitioned to middle school where I became ambitious in art; however, throughout my high school experience, this answer has transitioned back to teacher. I did not take any advanced classes during my freshman year of high school because my parents believed I would not be able to handle the workload even though I had been in advanced placement from elementary school to the end of middle school. I struggled mentally that year because of the people I was surrounded by in each of my classes; with no friends to talk to, I kept to myself a lot. One of my teachers noticed the level of work I produced and made me talk to our advanced English teacher to try and convince me to take advanced classes. They didn't have to talk to me that day, but my teachers are the reason I fell back in love with academics. Because of the things my teachers have done for me, I felt a desire to join the education department as a way of giving back to a group of people who helped me at my lowest. My favorite teacher is in charge of our school's AP Capstone classes and after taking AP Seminar with him, I fell in love with those types of classes. AP Capstone classes can provide a different type of learning that most students never get to touch, and I knew I wanted to become AP Certified after that. I am passionate about teaching because I have a teacher who truly loves what he teaches and wants his students to feel the same about his subject. He also goes beyond the classroom, and his job, and provides emotional support as well. If you need to stay after class and work on something, he's willing to stay in his classroom as long as you need and always makes sure you get the help you need. Through the three years of having him, I have never met another person who has been able to give me better personal life advice than him. He is my motivation behind teaching, and I can only hope that one day I will be able to be as good a teacher as he is. Time has been my biggest sacrifice for my future goal. I've kept up with assignments and classes to keep a 4.0 GPA; I wanted to make sure I was getting the best out of my time at high school, so I started taking AP classes. These require hours of work outside of the classroom. I started doing volunteer work during my freshman year to keep myself in connect with our community and give me practice interacting with others. Lastly, one of my biggest sacrifices was my choice of college. I had D1 colleges interested in me that were 12 to 14 hours away from my current home. I decided to stay closer to home to have a more affordable education, so I do not leave college with piling student loans. One of the biggest future sacrifices I plan on making in annual income. Teachers are not paid the best, but I plan on making it work because I want to do what one of the most influential people in my life has done for me: help others. Happiness is not based on money; my happiness will be based on future experiences with new generations of students.

I have always loved the atmosphere of school. Specifically, as a child, I loved being able to help with teacher activities such as passing out papers or helping grade worksheets. My love for being a teacher's "assistant" did not stop at the elementary school level and has stayed with me through my high school career. But, during my senior year, my love for school expanded from the classroom to the teachers as well. I have always been considered a smart kid, being considered for the gifted classes in elementary school and being in advanced placement in middle school but when I reached the high school level, my parents made me take standard classes because they felt the workload would be too much for me. I consider my freshman year one of the lowest mental points in my high school career and the only thing that helped me through that year was my teachers; they talked to me when none of the students wished to and always made sure I had the help I needed when I was too scared to speak up in class. Consequently, one of my teachers took notice of the work I produced and inquired why I was not in more advanced classes. It started with a short story assignment: I had to write a narrative based on a painting we examined in class. I had asked a teacher outside of my English class to proofread it because I felt not too confident with my writing abilities. I later found out that she made copies of it and passed it around to several of my teachers and teachers whom I had not even spoken to before. I was touched that she would even consider sharing my story further. One of these teachers was close friends with the teacher who made the copies, and she took me to talk to him one day before class. This teacher is the reason I started on the honors track at my high school. I would go even further the following year after honors classes and take AP classes and when my teacher saw that I was mentally draining myself, he took the time out of his day to check on me and make sure I was going to be ok. So many teachers have shown me kindness throughout my life; kindness that not many people are able to show. Ultimately, I want to give back to the teachers who showed me kindness. Teachers give up so much in their lives to ensure our future generations are prepared; teachers are not expected to attend to emotional issues outside of school but so many of my teachers have comforted me in hard times and made sure I was ok. I want to be that figure in a student's life who they can count on to feel seen and understood; I can not thank my teachers enough for how they have affected my life therefore I choose to teach. I plan on following my passions into teaching to make sure my students know I am engaged in the subjects I am teaching by majoring in them in college: English and art. I want to become AP certified, so I can help co-teach the AP capstone classes at my school because those were the classes that made me love high school, and that teacher puts so much into his lessons and teaching. My interest was created by a teacher who has an undying passion for the subject he teaches, and I plan on giving back to him by teaching future students like me.

In 8th grade, the first sport I started playing was volleyball and my coach encouraged me to join the high school team based on my drive and ambition that can not be taught to other players. I left volleyball for bowling after my sister, who is a year older than me, had a bad experience with the high school coaches. Most people may not agree that bowling is a sport, but I fell in love with it my freshman year. I always looked up to my seniors that year: the way they made throwing the ball look so effortless and their ability to get strike after strike. So, I went to every practice available and listened to everything my coach had to tell me. I loved how bowling was such a welcoming sport with friendly players; no drama was mentioned once between players and the atmosphere made me love the high school sport even more. One major thing bowling did for me my freshman year was give me friends; I was going through a bad year mentally especially with the transition between schools. However, everyone on that team made me feel loved and appreciated. I am now finishing up my senior year with a 200 average which is high for bowling and will be signing with a college team in the spring. Bowling was my outlet from high school. If I was sad from school, I had bowling; if I was mad from a conversation I had, I had bowling. Even when I had a bad game, I always had my team cracking a joke to make me feel better. Since the end of summer, I have been competing in Junior Gold which is a set of major youth bowling tournaments that allow for possible scholarship money. Bowling has also helped foster my want to attend college by giving me a team to look forward to and supportive funds to help me. I have also made friends that I would have never met if I did not attend these tournaments. Overall, bowling has opened many doors academically for me to help achieve my future. Lastly, this sport has taught me that I have a great deal of mental strength. I started my freshman year playing on a girl's team but due to our decrease in members, we had to go co-ed to continue to play which meant I had to play boys. Some girls struggle to play against boys who seem more powerful than them which happened to me in my junior year. But since the start of my senior year, I have learned to focus on my game and only my game. Even though bowling is a team sport, it is also an individual sport at its core. You have to be able to focus on your shots and not what other people are doing because you are not going to be able to stop your opponent. The patience and mental strength that I have developed over the past four years have led me to be able to succeed in my sport in a way that I do not think any other sport could do for me.

My name is Allison Finn, and I am a current senior at White House High School. I participate in my school's theater program as a lights and set designer and also bowl on the variety team. My passion for art started in the 5th grade when my teacher noticed that I had a niche for it, and she encouraged me to start practicing it. I did not get the chance to have art in middle school again and had to wait until my sophomore year of high school after the teacher (who was my old middle school art teacher) transferred to the high school and was able to pull a couple of strings to ensure I would have her art class. I want to double major in college with the ultimate goal being a secondary education teacher. I want to double major, so I have the possibility of becoming either an English or art teacher since both of my teachers in those fields have been some of my biggest inspirations. I in short want to foster the ambitions of other students who were in similar situations like me. I have watched and heard stories from the internet of art teacher horror stories where students ultimately quit their pursuit of art because a teacher was extremely mean to them about their art. I want to ensure that a student leaves my classroom even more passionate about their ambitions compared to when they walk into my classroom or to be able to foster ambitions in students who may not have some yet. Teachers are the root of change and some do not realize that the change can be good or bad. I aim to make art that is not only personal to me but can be applied to others. For example, in my AP art portfolio I used birds as they had a strong connection to me but also their symbolism could be applied further in art. I want to make art that makes people feel understood and happy. Some of my art is just really silly drawings of people I care for because when they see it they can not help but laugh, and that laugh is what makes me want to continue getting better at art. When I gift people art they feel touched because they know I put time and effort into it. Art is beautiful, and I am always searching for more ways to share it with people.

My future ambitions were nurtured from my almost 13 years in the public school system. I love the world of academics but found myself in my junior year of high school risking my mental health for a couple of passing AP scores. My interactions with my teachers have been the most impactful in my life; when I've been at my lowest, I have always found sanction in the words of my teachers. However, in recent years there has been a negative association in the field of teaching with some schools struggling to employ the right amount of teachers. Since reentering school after the events that transpired in 2020, I've noticed students around me placing the blame for not performing at a higher level on their teachers instead of realizing that it is their fault. Most teachers now struggle to keep the respect of their students through lessons; lessons they paid thousands of dollars to learn how to do. My experiences with teachers look much different than some students may describe them. I see my teachers as parental figures who have guided me toward a brighter future. Because of these teachers that have gone above their requirements to be a teacher, I now see school as a safe environment for me to not only learn but also have my emotional needs met as well. As more and more teachers leave the field, these students are left with fewer and fewer teachers who are willing to help their students grow in more than one way. When I become a teacher, I want my classroom to be that same safe space I was so gracious to have through my middle and high school years. As a teacher, I can ensure other girls are supported and protected in an environment where they can sometimes be taken advantage of; I want to be that figure in a student's life that is always there to help in rough times because not all students have that person. I have had teachers before both male and female that have been disgustingly self-centered and oblivious to the hurt they cause on their students. I want to make sure my students are heard and have the proper means of learning because nothing is more depressing than spending the majority of your day in a place where you find yourself miserable all because of one teacher. By changing the interactions that happen in a classroom, I aim to make a positive impact on the world.