Through my Chess club Presidency, I created a relationship with the middle school chess club. For an hour every week, my club got to know all of the kids at the middle school and began to understand them on a deeper level. I created an opportunity for us to mentor, inspire, teach, and interact with the middle schoolers who look up to us. It wasn't the biggest club, nor the most prestigious; however, the fulfillment I received from being able to help these students was unmatched. Talking with David, a boy with a larger figure, about the awful things students have said to him touched my heart. I was privy to the immense influence words can have on people. It surprised me that these visits became the highlight of my week. Learning the social dynamics, mental well-being, and culture there enlightened me to new perspectives. I listened to the hardships and highlights the students in the chess club experienced. I made an effort to learn and remember every student's name. I went out of my way to make them feel heard and important, and asked them questions that could guide them toward finding their true, unapologetic selves. What mattered was seeing these students grow in self-assurance, knowing they were heard and valued. Through simple consistent effort, I turned these limited resources into infinitely many possibilities for us high schoolers to learn, and for the middle-schoolers to grow. These meetings inspired our growth, motivated us, and them. I believe it's crucial for the youth to see how us highschoolers interact and give them the opportunity to ask us questions. The fact that they look up to us is a valuable one, and I use it in any chance that I get. I am also apart of my schools ambassador program where a select number of upstanding students give four presentations that ease the transition to highschool for 8th graders. In addition to these connections with the youth in my community I am very active in my highschool community. I try to be a rolemodel of hardwork in whatever I do. Whether thats on the Varsity Tennis Team, Varsity Swim, Team Captain of the Soccer Team, Senior Class President, or as a DECA officer/international qualifier. I uplift those around me whenever I can, and I am extremely cognizant of what I say. In my districts Superintendents Advisory Council we had a meeting about safety. In this meeting I brought the point up to my district that mental safety, and physical safety often go hand in hand. I emphasized that students who are subject to bullying, peer pressure, and the dark side of social media are more likely to get into fights or feel negatively about themselves. I emphasize the importance of protecting the youth from negative influences and giving them a role-model. I advocate for students to spend more time doing things out of their households and socializing or doing some sort of extracurricular that will bring them away from their phones and into the present moment. As I enter higher education, both of my parents are public school teachers with no form of a college fund, and essentially are depending on me to get scholarships, or I will have to go into debt.

"What can I do with words? Ask Questions? Strike Chords? Uncover your motivations? Uncover a world of knowledge? Deliver precious bits of introspection? Help the world to acknowledge the centuries of others observation, adaptation, determination, maturation, resignation, and education? The centuries of wisdom? Can I pay it forward? The beauty of what we discover to escape boredom? Can I inspire you to go on, wayward? Can I inspire you to chart your own path? Embrace your own fervors? Make an oath, to find your own motivators? To find out what we can do with words, asking questions, striking chords, embracing our motivations." I wrote this poem right after another because the question on my mind was "what can I do with words." I ended up answering my question in that poem, and while I was writing it I felt as if my subconscious was answering the question for me. Words are my superpower, whether I'm writing a poem for myself, reading a book, writing an essay, or writing a book. Anytime I write about something I have feelings for, I am so encapsulated by the movement of my pencil on paper that everything around me seems to fade away. My best explanation for why this happens to me is that I love words. When Lionel Messi plays soccer and gets in the zone, he's able to do so because he loves it. I love that I have the ability to simplify my life, keep track of the unlimited supply of information that surrounds me each day, and inspire those around me to pursue their dreams. Poetry is a new addition to my life, one that has had a significant impact on my day to day life. Three months ago, I began annotating a poem each night. Since then, poetry has become my most natural way of expressing emotion. Whenever I feel something deeply, I instinctively jot down a few words, and from there, a poem emerges. In addition, I've been able to speak in a much more convincing manner. Writing gives me control, and confidence over my life. In college, I will have an assortment of poems prepared, and continue writing them as often as life sees fit. Most poems of mine are inspirational, so I intend to publish poems online with a strict schedule and create my own "Dead Poets Society" on campus. The best speech I have witnessed, the most motivating, and touching person who inspired me in my life 4 years ago was a poet. Everywhere in my life I have witnessed the ability those who experiment with words possess. Thats why I will use this superpower to my advantage and inspire those around me in every opportunity life gives me. I get to give a speech to my graduating class of five-hundred in June, and I will use that opportunity, along with others to use words to inspire. In the future, I also plan to use my honed ability with words to discuss the ideals I feel very strongly about, in an attempt to bring peace, and togetherness to everyone willing to listen. I will use words in every aspect of my life and I will not stop. When I am older, I will write a book and replenish the neverending cycle of knowledge and understanding that I cherish. Scholarships will give me time to write, and pursue my passions, in place of working. What can I do with words? I can ask questions. I can strike chords. I can inspire. And I will.