I used to be like you: a normal person doing normal everyday things without thinking too much about it. I used to not collapse after exerting activities, I used to be able to brush past people without worry or be able to take on new activities without my limbs going numb. It was the end of Junior year, and I was sitting in an oddly bright orange room. It smelled like sanitizer through my warm mask. The exam table was covered with a soft cloth rather than the typical crinkly paper, which was warm compared to the chilly air-conditioned building. My mind was foggy, like a cold front on a warm summer morning. The sleep, fatigue, and mental wear of pain and life made my attention span short along with my patience. The tenth specialist scanned all my paperwork of the previous nine doctors, all the lab work, all four MRIs, and my two x-rays over the past year. It has certainly been a journey up until this point, but we weren’t at the destination yet. My expedition continued on when I learned some detrimental news. I have Fibromyalgia, but I didn’t even blink an eye when I was diagnosed. Going to the doctor's for me was as normal as going to school. It was just routine. This particular morning instead of being an unfortunate event, was a take-off point for me. I’m not like you. I have to live with this for the rest of my life. I have to deal with my limbs going numb and being in immense pain every day. When I walked out of DeVos hospital, something must have clicked in me since life has never looked the same. Every moment is one that I cherish because I can live it.

I used to be like you: a normal person doing normal everyday things without thinking too much about it. I used to not collapse after exerting activities, I used to be able to brush past people without worry or be able to take on new activities without my limbs going numb. It was the end of Junior year, and I was sitting in an oddly bright orange room. It smelled like sanitizer through my warm mask. The exam table was covered with a soft cloth rather than the typical crinkly paper, which was warm compared to the chilly air-conditioned building. My mind was foggy, like a cold front on a warm summer morning. The sleep, fatigue, and mental wear of pain and life made my attention span short along with my patience. The tenth specialist scanned all my paperwork of the previous nine doctors, all the lab work, all four MRIs, and my two x-rays over the past year. It has certainly been a journey up until this point, but we weren’t at the destination yet. My expedition continued on when I learned some detrimental news. I have Fibromyalgia, but I didn’t even blink an eye when I was diagnosed. Going to the doctor's for me was as normal as going to school. It was just routine. This particular morning instead of being an unfortunate event, was a take-off point for me. I’m not like you. I have to live with this for the rest of my life. I have to deal with my limbs going numb and being in immense pain every day. When I walked out of DeVos hospital, something must have clicked in me since life has never looked the same. Every moment is one that I cherish because I can live it.

To me, independence means being able to do things for yourself, for the better. Being independent and the meaning of it really hits home for me. About two years ago my body started collapsing in on itself. I had a severe B12 (nervous system support nutrient) deficiency and I suddenly became dependent on others. I persevered through my junior year cross country season, but people had to catch me at the end of the race and drag me away from the line. I would just collapse from exhaustion at the end of my races, at the end of the school day, after eating, after showering. I became incredibly dependent on those around me. My limbs would go numb and I wouldn't be able to complete things on my own. I became dependent on those around me to wake me up, help keep me from collapsing, call my parents, drive, to help me with medication and with reminders. Throughout the past year, I slowly gained my independence by being put on medication and by going through rounds of physical therapy. Independence is a wonderful thing that allows us to do things for ourselves. Being independent is an opportunity to make your own choices and to have control over what you do and why you do it. Independence is important to me because I know it is something that should never be taken for granted.

Everyone wants to leave a legacy. I want to leave a memorable impact on others. I want people to realize that their actions and words can build people up or break them down. The way that you mentor people and help others can make or break them. I want to build people up and help them feel confident about themselves. I want them to be inspired by the world around them. I want people to not feel smashed in a box of regulations and rules. I think if everyone was confident and inspired this world would be a much, much happier place. Most of all, I want people to be happy with making positive connections with other people. The connections we make with other people are so important. They keep us happy and ecstatic if the connection is positive. People wouldn't feel so lonely or depressed if they had more connections. A simple hello or holding the door open for someone can change their whole day. Again, our actions and worse affect people more than you would think. I can impact others by treating them in a positive and respectful manner to be an example to them. We can make or break someone. Be that person that is willing to build someone up.

I value the determination and the discipline to do well that I hold for myself. I have used these qualities countless times to help me push through the hardest times of my life and to achieve my goals. Through these qualities, I became the Muskegon area city champion in middle school cross country. In high school, I pursued my cross country career through a rough bout of tendonitis and then again during a B12 (nervous system support nutrient) deficiency. I had a rough year medically, but I had the determination and discipline to get back to normal. I learned what was best for me and I recovered through my will to be better. There is something special in possessing discipline. It is easy to stray away from doing the super hard things. It takes discipline to keep yourself in line and to block out things that are distracting you from your end goal. Discipline is staying on track because you know what is better for you in the end and what will be worth it. Most of the time it is nice and easy to take the fast a convenient way of doing things, but that doesn't hold the same reward. Something that you work hard towards will have a big reward. Discipline keeps you on the path to doing those harder things to get a worthwhile reward. I keep myself disciplined because I hold myself to a certain standard of accountability and performance. This will help me achieve my goals even when it may seem very hard and difficult. The other characteristic that I value in myself is the determination to do well in things. While discipline is a wonderful trait to have, if you don't have the want, the need, the determination to do something, the discipline is pointless. The determination gives you a reason to go after your goals. For example, I want to be able to run marathons. For me, that is a longer road than it would be for others. I have a chronic illness that has recently impaired my previous ability to run. I struggle to complete daily activities. However, if I want to be able to do a marathon, then that determination will help me reach my end goal. These two qualities really go hand in hand with each other. The determination I have to do well motivates me to start working towards something, while my self-discipline keeps me working towards that end goal. Determination is what gets me into walking and doing physical therapy, but discipline is what keeps me going when things get hard. These two qualities will get me very far in life. They will help me push through any medical, mental, physical, social, or academic challenge that comes my way. With these two qualities, I can achieve my goals and succeed at whatever I do.

I would like to become a physician's assistant. It is a long process to get that job in the end, but I am determined! It takes four years of undergrad school and two years of graduate school. I do not need a residency, but I do need to become an EMT or a certified nurse's assistant to gain clinical hours to enter graduate school! I plan to follow this success by completing the proper education route for this career. I also have a goal to run marathons. I would love to achieve this, but first, my body needs to heal. I am undergoing educational and physical therapy to help my body recover and strengthen from the diagnosis of fibromyalgia. I am starting the walk, so I will be able to run soon! I plan to continue achieving my goals through perseverance and determination. It only takes one step to start the initiation of a goal and any progress is good progress!

One of my favorite books is "Fly girl" by Sherri Smith. It is an amazing book that features girls from the 1940s. The book is about girls who signed up in the war that was dedicated to flying for the United States. The main character is an African American girl that is very dedicated to flying. However, since it is the 1940s, African Americans aren't seen as equals and don't have all the same rights that white people have. I love this story because it is adventurous, with patriotism and friendship. This book is from a perspective and time that not many people talk about. This is from about the end of the war. All these history classes I have taken have focused on what was going on with the world across the ocean. Nobody really focused on the social unrest that was going on at home. Or the flight tests going on airbases. Or the singular women's flight team that was being trained at one of the bases down south. This book gave me a new perspective on that time period with an adventurous spin!

The most useful type of financial advice that I have received is, "save soon and save often". Meaning the sooner you save the better. When you put money into the bank the money gains interest. So the sooner you save the more interest you can gain on the initial money that you save. Not only that, but it is important to save often so you continue to add more money in the bank that can gain interest. It is important to save money because I will need to eventually take out a loan for my student debt. However, if I save more money, the less of a loan I will have to take out. It is important to save money. It would be a problem if a finical emergency came up like an increase in the electrical bill, it would be important to have money saved. If you have money saved you are less likely to go into debt and won't be so stressed about your financial situation.

I am a leader on the student council and was drum major this year. My co-drum major and I help level the playing field for strong women leaders. We are both people that are role models to others in the area as well as within our school. We represented all kinds of people within our band to make sure that everyone's ideas and thoughts were heard. We also like to bring attention to the special talents that other people have. During my student council meetings, I like to take the ideas of the minorities in our school and bring them before the council, so that people get a say in what goes on in our school. The student council helps recognize all the talents that each person possesses and plays off those talents to help benefit the school. As president of the student council, it is my job to recognize these talents. The student council also celebrates everyone's diversity by putting on talent shows and assemblies to recognize each person's abilities and different accomplishments. Equality and diversity are important because it gives people equal opportunities while keeping everyone unique.

I love being selfless because I love putting smiles on other people's faces. I do little things to help people or small favors that they ask for. I don't want the people I help to feel indebted to me or like they owe me some sort of big thank you. More often than not, it is the little things that pile up and can cause more stress on someone than the bigger things. If I can take care of the smaller things for anyone just to make their life easier it is worth it! I enjoy helping people out. I like surprising people as well! So, I do small things to surprise those around me. I like putting smiles on people's faces. The little things I do to help people can break up the monotony of someone else's day. And just lending a helping hand to those who need it, is well worth the effort!

I have goals to become a Physician's Assistant. It is quite a bold kind of goal for me considering I also have other goals. Goals that are seen as "simpler", but are a bit hard for me. I struggle with a chronic illness and one of my current goals is to be able to run again. Once, I achieve this I have goals to run marathons. I would do this so I can raise money for other people like me. I also have more practical goals. I would like a steady job, with a family and a husband. I would like to live in a house and be rid of all my student debts. I would also like to go on adventures. I would like to travel the world and go to international places. I would like to do things I have never done before like backpacking and riding in a hot air balloon. These goals might seem simple, but these goals are my dreams. These dreams are something I have to work harder at because of my chronic illness. Even though in the end I would like to run a marathon, I now am trying to achieve the big end goal by doing little things. By simply walking and doing physical therapy.

A lot of people struggle with finding academic success, but I don't. I have a lot of study methods to help me remember important things. I love to use flashcards for vocab and other things. I like making real flashcards that way I write them down at least once before I try and study. However, when I am trying to remember bigger dates and events I use study guides to help me. I will use my textbook and other resources the first time I do a study guide. Next, I will complete the study guide again to the best of my knowledge and then use my resources again to complete it. By this point, I know what things I am struggling to learn or remember. I will then write down the thing I am struggling with three times. When I write things down it helps me remember things better. Therefore, by writing the thing down I am struggling with three times then I will most likely remember what I am struggling with. When I am struggling to understand something, like in math, for example, I like to watch videos on how to do it. That way it has been explained by more than one person. In addition to these previous methods, I also like to use a blank piece of paper to study. It is a very simple way to study, but it is very helpful. If I was studying the nervous system, for example. I would use the blank piece of paper to write down everything I can remember about the nervous system, with no prompts. In the end, I compare my paper to my notes. This way I know what I need to work on and what I already know.

I struggle to find time to take care of myself, but when I do, I love to paint. Painting calms me down and I focus on the present instead of what was or what could be. I like to come home and put on some music or audiobooks while I paint. I paint on records, canvases, jars, and any kind of object that I can find to transform into a masterpiece. I love mixing all the different colors together and adding layers and layers of paint. The layers take a normal sketch and it is changed into a gorgeous piece of art. I also enjoy painting because it pushes me by pushing my talent and thought process of art. I enjoy painting because in addition to lowering my anxiety it also settles my depression. I stay productive while taking time to myself without allowing myself to overthink. Painting helps me take care of my mental health because it breaks up the monotony of the day and allows me to create something new.

I have a dream to become a physician's Assistant that specializes in cardio or nerves. It is a long road to my future career, but I am determined to make it to my end goal. I have four years of undergrad school and two years of graduate school. That is six long years of school. I would like to become a physician's Assistant because I would like to help people find their problems in health. This way they do not have to travel around from doctor to doctor wondering what the cause of the problem is. I was inspired to follow this career after a year of traveling doctor to doctor until a physician's Assistant found out what condition I was struggling with. It was a very long road of taxing tests to find out what I had and I would hate for others to go under the amount of testing that I had. It is a taxing future, but I am excited and determined to pursue my goal to help others.

Joy comes in many different forms. I find joy in spending time with people and adventuring. I love exploring new things and I love spending time with the people I love. I enjoy finding new adventures to go on as well. I think that adventures can be as simple as trying a new type of coffee or taking a new route to school. or they can be big adventures like crossing off skydiving and snorkeling off your bucket list. And what is better than trying new things than trying them with people that you love? You get to share all your thoughts and laughter while trying new things! Plus sometimes your friends can challenge you to try new things that you have never thought of before. I find immense joy in trying new things with my friends in family. I try to seek this out by trying simple new things with my friends all the time! Like trying new foods and new fun activities. I treasure every moment I spend with the people around me. And finding new adventures is just a few ways that I create memories that I will remember.

My favorite way to help people is by doing the little things. By opening the door for someone, or smiling or consoling them in a rough time. It isn't all the big and glorious acts of helping people, it is also the little things. The little things, in my opinion, don't make people feel obligated to do something for you. In fact, I have a few friends who absolutely hate it when people do grand acts of gestures. It really makes them feel uncomfortable. Instead, I help them out by doing small things for them. The small things have been known to make people's day because it is unexpected. These small acts also have saved people from taking their own life by suicide. These little things go unnoticed sometimes and don't command a lot of attention, but they certainly make a difference. These small acts of kindness also leave room for creativity :)

There was a point a few years ago when I was in a bad spot. My life seemed to be falling apart. My nervous system was collapsing in on itself with undiagnosed fibromyalgia. I went through a rigorous round of tests and doctors. I could barely do anything. Currently, I can do a whole bunch of different things. That alone motivates me. The fact that I can wake up in the morning and feel little to no pain motivates me to do things a bunch of things that I couldn't do before. And it pushes me to be a better person every day because I would have appreciated more compassion from my surrounding peers when I was going through that rough situation. My past constantly motivates me to be a better person as I move on in life. It motivates me to accomplish and be willing to do more things. In addition, I am motivated to be a kinder, compassionate, and a more empathetic person.

This past year I have learned that I love to push myself to the extreme. However, this means that I don't always listen to my body even when I should. I love to do my best in school, sports, and helping others. I like to keep myself busy, but being busy with everything doesn't leave much time for self-care or for a lot of sleep. I have been working on this, but it is okay to say no and to save time to take care of myself because that is very important. This past year I have pushed my limitations while dealing with a chronic illness and instead of listening to my body, I pushed it too hard. I pushed myself so hard that I could barely get through school or walk anywhere very far. I learned that it is very important to listen to myself and designate time for myself. I now value that time because I get to do more things that make me happy like spending time with friends and creating new things. I believe it is very important for people to leave time to themselves.

I want my legacy to leave the world a better place than what you found it. At first, it sounds extremely clique; however, I have actually created a better environment before. The marching band program is extremely important to me at my school. When I was a freshman, people were not nice and didn't want to put in the effort to be a better team. This created an extremely bad environment. By learning from other people's mistakes, my class and I created a better environment by putting others before us. We created a kind and comfortable environment by showing empathy for each other and by holding each other accountable for our effort and actions. In those four years, the marching band went from a backstabbing environment to a compassionate and caring environment. By leaving the world a better place negative environments can be turned into positive ones. Other issues can be solved as well. Pollution wouldn't be as much of a problem and public places would stay clean. Things would be fixed instead of broken and places would be kept in a beautiful state. It is a simple saying that can do so much. And people can start living this legacy this very second!

If there was one sentence I could share with the world I would share, that communication and consistency is key. Think of all the problems in the world that could just be solved with simple communication. Many relationships and friendship problems would be solved if people communicated properly. complications as small as drama or things big as world wars could be avoided. People might not feel so lonely or upset if they felt that their thoughts were heard. And this is possible through means of just sitting down and talking. In today's world, we constantly hear about the divorce rates and the number of people that are disowned. These problems could be avoided or at least made less severe if communication is made possible. Along with communication, it is important to stay consistent in the things that you do. For example, communicating regularly to problem solve and mend broken relationships. I believe that if people not only communicated for problems, but for each other's feelings that the rates of suicide, anxiety, and depression would be lower because everyone would feel valid and heard. And they would have people and places where they could communicate their feeling too. "Communication and consistency is key" is an important sentence because it is a simple and kind answer to avoiding and fixing some of the worst problems our world faces today.

Creating things make me really happy along with helping other people. When those two things go hand in hand it is one of my favorite things. I very much enjoy painting. I paint on records and canvases along with various objects. I also enjoy decorating cakes! It is like painting but with food! And it makes a delectable treat. It is so satisfying to me to put some music on and dig in! I love just getting up to my elbows in whatever I am doing. Although I generally make a mess, I have to shower afterward. It is so much fun! And It is oddly satisfying to layer either paint or frosting on something. You get to see your work slowly progress from a rough scratch to a beautifully decorated piece. It is not just cake decorating or painting that I enjoy making. I also enjoy needlework and scrapbooking. Creating things with my hands keeps me occupied and happy especially when I get to share that with others!

One thing I really love about myself is the selflessness I have for other people. I love being around others. I think there is something special to have a quality like this when we are trapped in a world that is concerned with ourselves. I tend to drop everything to go help other people. Even if it means losing out on part of lunch or time to do fun things. I really enjoy putting smiles on other people's faces even if it's over something simple like making homemade cookies for someone's birthday or helping a teacher with extra work. You don't realize what a simple action can do to someone's day. And after all helping someone, a little bit is the least I can do for others. I have been very blessed with certain experiences in academics, travel, talents, and leadership positions. There have been a few times where my selflessness puts stress on my own life, but in the end, it is worth the happiness it brings other people. :)

I can personally say that I have been on the crueler side of people's intentions. At the same time, my nervous system was collapsing in on itself with pain, due to untreated fibromyalgia and lack of B12 (nervous system nutrients). I could not come into contact with people without flinching in pain. During this terrible experience, I would have given a lot of things for empathy from people. This experience has made me more sensitive to people's needs and the type of empathy that they need. I needed empathy, but not sympathy. I was also made more aware of the power of touch and if the situation calls for an embrace or if the person simply just wants to talk. In addition to this experience, it makes me more aware of the impact words and actions have on people. It makes me choose my words more carefully and think carefully about what I do before I act, especially when I am trying to show others empathy. Our experiences shape who we are, but they also shape how we impact others. Empathy is one of the greatest gifts we can give each other, but it is important to approach each empathetic situation with sensitivity.

Many people look for the meaning of life and seem to find it in power, fame, or success. They say there is no meaning to life if there isn't a drive. However, what would life be like if there wasn't anyone else? The meaning of life is connection. Not exclusively given to only family and friends, but people in general. People are driven with ambition because of respect, gratitude, inspiration, and success. None of this can be achieved without other people. Others are needed to make such a connection. We see examples in everyday life. Simple acts such as holding a door open for someone or even just a smile can make their day. But, why? Even a simple action causes a connection between one person or another. Even technology is stretching its borders to help humans gain connections with each other by means of phone calls, texts, and even social media. On the opposite end of this, people go crazy in isolation because they lack that connection that every human needs. Without a type of connection to other humans, life becomes meaningless because there is no one else to share anything with. We need others and most of all each other to share our sorrows and joys, our success and failures and we need each other's support and kindness. I personally try to achieve this goal by constantly reaching out to others as a friend, or even a stranger to show kindness and support. The impact of just conversing or helping someone gives a connection that reminds me what life is about.

Like a bud after the frost, Excited for what is to come, it's a frosty past left behind. The pain from the chill of isolation, the fear of defeat. Yet the frost, like a disease, eats away at the soul. The soul, fragile like glass is strong as steel after pain The bud is full of anticipation of the better helpful of what is to come The warmth of spring is near new beginnings are welcome like the sun on a rainy day The plant has weather through storm and disease, the world unleashing it's worst Yet, it still stands open and hopeful to what the world has to offer

Most students have read a book or at least picked one up. I love fantasy, but the book that has inspired me the most was "Get out of your head" by Jennie Allen. It isn't a fantasy book or a book of an inspiring adventure, but one that simply just challenges you to think differently. When I initially picked this book up, I was in a dark place mentally. I didn't want help and I definitely did not want to be spending my summer weekend in a rustic cabin in the middle of the upper peninsula. This book was an instructive book on how to change your mindset. I was not amused by my mother's recommendation of a book. This book started to describe a beautiful memoir of a spiritual and mental battle, with therapeutic exercises. It gave you resources like links to videos and books as well as mind-calming techniques such as mental maps and mental exercises. One of the main themes of the book was the phrase, "[t]he greatest spiritual battle of our generation is being fought between our ears" (10). Unconsciously, this book helped change my mindset from being negative to trying new things. It helped make me less susceptible to turning negatively so quickly. It helped me get out of my emotional spiral. And all it simply did was read the book and humor an occasional exercise loosely and before I knew it the majority of my mindset had changed. I ended up enjoying the rest of the trip and the rest of my summer joyously compared to the negative sulking I had been doing for the past six months. I highly recommend this book. It has helped me immensely and I owe Jennie Allen a great thanks for writing it.

About a year ago I started having medical problems and extreme pain. I started struggling with everyday activities like walking, hugging people, and even trying to get out of the car. My body would collapse after things that used to be easy for me. My world was falling apart around me. After many, many, doctors and medical tests, I was finally diagnosed with fibromyalgia. After my diagnosis, I was quickly put on medication and into a therapy program. I am now more able to function like a normal person. I don't take things for granted like I used to because there are little things that you do every day that are grand victories for me. I get to sleep eight hours a day instead of needing fifteen. Walking up and down the stairs is exciting. Being able to give someone a hug without wincing in pain is a beautiful thing. I can get out of a car without assistance. I am overjoyed that I can participate and focus on classwork instead of my pain. I went from being a very independent person to becoming a dependent person in a blink of an eye. Since then, I have learned how to accept help, as well as how to ask for it too. I learned how to live my life for myself and dance in the rain because I can. I constantly relate back to the first moments of this journey and appreciate how far I have come since then.