"Don't look down." I was told from my second-grade best friend. I knew that I hadn't been on some kind of cliff or tightrope, we had just been playing hide and seek in the park- but then I felt it. First, a pinching pain, but nobody was touching me. Inevitably, I peered downwards. My immediate gaze was filled with red. My favorite pink and purple sneakers were red. My leggings- red. There was blood everywhere, and that's when it hit me. I was bleeding. There were glass shards, presumably from a smashed bottle of alcohol, and one of them had stabbed right into my knee. My city, New York City, is seen as the place "where dreams are made of," yet had that shard of glass pierced even 8 inches higher, it would have been my parents' worst nightmare. Though, I find myself feeling that if not for the help of paramedics and lawyers, while I may have not been able to seek justice for my injury, that's not the most important thing. I instead, feel that if I had not seen the assiduous labor and assurance of my lawyer or pediatrician, I would not have been able to find and pursue my purpose as easily. As I thumbed over what felt like countless stitches on the little hospital cot, a whisper assured me that I was put on Earth to help people, however I can. Weeks later, as I made my way back to school, hobbling through hallways and attempting to reteach myself liters, quarts, and gallons, I pondered the true extent of "helping people." Such an endless topic, it seemed, yet I never knew if and how I would be able to carry it out properly. By teaching my classmates the spelling of 'big' words, and eagerly presenting history PowerPoint, I figured I could at least help my classmates this way, to help them and myself learn, but I still felt like there was more. Aha- my future career! While this didn't come to me until high school, my paramedics inspired me, but my extensive clumsiness ruled medical work out of my head. However, there was another path calling to me, that related to me, just as much as I did to it. Law. As soon as I saw law as a possible career option, I fell in love with it. Criminal law, corporate law, entertainment law, family law, and the list goes on. Over my high school experience, I became involved in club leadership positions, non-profit politics and climate-based organizations, and became an NYCDOE advocate, for both mental health and student wellness. In the future, I hope to inspire others the way that I was inspired when I was much younger. It's become more apparent to me, that the "right way to help people," is the way that makes you feel right when you support another person. For me, that is being able to be a role model and representation for those around me. While undergrad and law school will be exceptionally difficult, and certainly expensive, I want to look back and be able to know that I've inspired all children who may or may not look like me, but who primarily find the need to help others and like you, be able to continue to pay it forward to them, assisting in any way that they'd need.

Witch Hat Atelier by Shirahama Kamome, while not seen as a traditional ‘book’ is an excellent comic book that takes you on a journey and immerses you into it’s world. I fell in love with this book after the first few chapters for a multitude of reasons, one of which being the characters. The comic centers around a young girl named Coco, who wants to be a witch. In literature, being a witch is often either looked down upon, or something that people are just born as, and in Witch Hat Atelier, the latter seems to be true. Coco’s determination is inspiring, and draws you into the book as you can’t help but root for her. Something else that sparked my interest in the book was the fact that it was incomplete. The comic has around 50 chapters that release monthly, and by having something to anticipate each month, and seeing the fan-base of the book grow throughout the months, it makes it hard for me to stop rereading or lose interest. Additionally, the author introduced numerous darker skin characters with different hair textures, characters with vision-impairing disabilities, and limb difference disabilities, as well as touching upon discrimination that these characters face. In Japan, where the book originated, a mono-racial country, many comics do not have darker skinned people as a beauty standard is to be upheld, and ‘foreigners’ are often looked down upon. For Kamome to introduce these characters and their struggles, it’s very rewarding as someone who can relate to them, even if these characters may not be received as well in Japan. As well as the factors aforementioned, the jaw-dropping art, impressive world building, and excellent attention to detail makes Witch Hat Atelier the best book I’ve ever read, and a comic that I’d recommend to anyone.