On May 1st, 2005 around 9:30am I was born via c-section at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center at a whooping 3 pounds, 4 ounces. I spent the first several weeks of my life in a hospital, trying to gain some strength and energy to carry me throughout the rest of my days. My early education was in Cheyenne, but when I was 11 my family and I packed up and headed to Colorado, and I’ve been going to school in the tiny town of Walden ever since. My family and I live 45 miles away from Walden, but it is very important to my family that my ten year old brother, Kitry, and I attend school. I am very thankful for the opportunity to attend North Park School although I live so far from town. Living in Walden has helped me break out of my shell and has helped me become the person I am today. At first glance I may seem shy, reserved, and introverted but when thrown into my element, I take center stage and light up the room, and all of my ideas suddenly are out in the open. I am very optimistic, empathetic, and energetic. In the darkest of times, I always look for a positive and I try to help and encourage others to do the same. When the energy or motivation is low in class, on the court, or just in general, I become the spark that ignites that energy once again. I’m not afraid to be honest and speak up, and I’m not afraid to be my most authentic self. My passion for anime, theater, writing, and music brings out the extrovert in me and pushes me to chase after my dreams. “When you go up against the world, make sure you go berserk.” - Fuki Hibarida, Japan’s Volleyball coach in the anime Haikyuu!. Attending college has been the dream since I was in middle school. I've always had a passion for learning and exploring new things and subjects, and I intended to further my education beyond high school. I also wanted to get the overall college experience: making life long friends, studying subjects that truly interest me, and learning how to live and manage life all on my own. I'm currently enrolled full-time at the University of Wyoming. My freshman year I majored in theatre and dance, and minored in creative writing. For the upcoming year, I will be majoring in psychology and minoring in creative writing and theatre and dance. This college has piqued my interest because of its wonderful creative writing, theater, music, and psychology programs. When I went on my college tour to UW, I got the feeling that UW is where I belong and where I need to be after high school, and I didn’t get that feeling when I was visiting other colleges. After college, I'm not too sure what the future holds for me. However, I intend on finding a job that involves helping other people achieve their own goals and making them laugh; perhaps a drama therapist or a school counselor. I am a very determined, hard working, and ambitious person, and I intend to see my college education and goals all the way through. Since middle school, I have struggled with mental health, but struggling has helped me become stronger and more confident in my abilities and myself as a human being. I always look for a positive in every situation, I am inspirational and motivational, and I heavily believe in the power of positive reinforcement.

If I could have everyone in the world read just one book, I would have them read “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green. It’s about a teenage girl named Hazel Grace. She has a nice life: loving, supportive parents, friends, and a few hobbies. The not-so-nice thing about her life is that she has stage IV thyroid cancer. She goes to a support group for teens with cancer (which she despises), and there she meets a boy named Augustus Waters, who, you guessed it, also has cancer. They soon become friends, and even a little more than that. From then on, her world changes for better and for worse. I first read this book when I was about twelve or thirteen years old, and it is still my favorite book to this day; I’ve re-read it too many times to count! Everyone in the world should read this book because it turns a terrible disease into a beautiful and genuine story, but not in a regular way. Cancer isn’t glorified, and it shows all of the downsides of the illness. However, the story shows how illnesses can bring people closer together, and change a person’s perspective on how they view the world, the people around them, and even themselves. In just 313 pages, John Green wraps advanced nerdy humor, facts, adventure, self-discovery, heartbreak, and hardships into one incredible story. “The Fault in Our Stars” has inspired me to continue my passion for writing, to connect to the world around me in simple yet meaningful ways, to appreciate my own life and connections, and to cherish the moments I have with the ones I love, even if they’re little moments. Thank you, John Green, for giving the world such an eye-opening novel. Thank you, for this little infinity.

I am currently attending classes in person and online as a Performing Arts student at the University of Wyoming. College so far has been a wild ride, good and bad. I've faced many successes, but there have also been a few challenges along the way. The challenges I've faced so far on my path to earning a higher education are financial struggles, mental struggles, and a bit of time management. Financially I've never been on my own before, so I'm unsure of how to budget and manage my money. Being a part of Student Success Services has heightened my knowledge of how to create a budget and save money for my future. Mentally, I didn't realize how stressful college would be. There's so much going on all of the time, new friendships are forming and ending, my family is farther away than before, and from time to time I get so lost that I forget to take care of myself. Therapy has helped me learn ways to cope with the hustle and bustle of college life, and how to manage my time and anxiety around my grades and the social aspect of college. Through therapy, I'm becoming more confident in myself and my ability to set healthy boundaries and make time for self-care. Time management has been hard in my college life because of all of the events and activities going on around campus and within my classes. I wasn't ready for the sudden change of pace in my life for college. As the weeks went on, I started to understand how my classes were functioning and what my work schedule was like, so I was able to create a good and steady timetable and schedule for myself. My work experience at the University of Wyoming is much different than my work experience in general. My parents run a little business in the Poudre Canyon in Colorado called the Trading Post Resort, and I've only ever worked for them cleaning cabins and working in our little convenience store. When I got to the University, I got a job as a barista and panini maker at Encore Cafe in Buchanan. I enjoy the hustle and bustle of my job, and I love my coworkers; they're all so nice and they are very helpful when I'm struggling. I will work at Encore to give back to my community by making drinks and paninis for the public to enjoy, and I will work at my education to give back to my community by staying focused on my goals and ambitions ahead of me. Performing and entertaining the public will be my gift to my community.

What excites me the most about college is the chance to start again. I’m looking forward to going out on my own to explore the world, and to start a new chapter in my life. I will finally be able to be who I truly am in a new environment. I will be able to take that big step and say, “You know what? I’m not going to care what anyone has to say about me. This is who I am, and I like who I am, and I’m going to stay true to myself no matter what. The only opinion that truly matters to me is my own.” Besides, when I am true to myself, I notice that I am a lot happier, confident, and optimistic. I’m also excited to learn more about the things I am truly passionate about, and learn how to take my passions and shape them into the career I am working for. I can’t wait to get into an environment that teaches the things that specifically interest me, and that specifically relate to my passions, goals, and ideals. I plan to study music, writing, and theater while I’m in college, and I’m so excited for the opportunity to learn about these things one on one and in depth. In addition to academics, I’m looking forward to meeting new people. I’ll be able to make new bonds, new acquaintances, new teacher relationships, and new friendships that will last the rest of my life. Friendship and socializing is very important to me, so I’m thrilled to become more involved in relationships and friendships in college. I maintain a healthy mind, body, and soul amidst the challenges I face in school by taking care of myself physically and mentally. I go to therapy monthly to cope with my mental health, I journal about my feelings and emotions ,and I analyze myself, my feelings, and my actions to try and understand the sole purpose of them. To cope, I do things that make me happy, like singing, doing my makeup, listening to music, making jewelry, writing short stories, etc.. Physically, I try to work out from time to time, I eat healthy and eat what feels safe to me and what makes me feel good, and I participate in sports like volleyball and basketball to keep my heart racing and my blood flowing. When I’m struggling mentally, I remind myself that it’s just a bad day, not a bad life. Things will get better; maybe not today or tomorrow, but eventually, they will get better. I look for the positives in every situation, even if it’s small or seems hard to find.

Broken Glass Hear me yell Hear me scream Hear me curse about broken dreams Watch the glass shatter Watch the glass break Watch me commit a big mistake See my hand bleed See my hand broken See me laugh about the emotions That were never awoken.

I've always loved music. It sounds cliche, but I have. Since I can remember, I've always been singing, dancing, and listening to music. I love going outside when it's pouring rain and blasting my music and dancing for all or none to hear or see. Music makes me feel alive. Music helped me when my mental health was at its lowest, and that's what I want to do for the world. I would love to write, produce, and sell music that speaks to people. Some artists that speak out to me are Billie Eilish and Yungblud. I want people to hear my music and think, "Wow... I feel that." I want people to feel motivated by my music. I want them to laugh, I want them to cry, I want them to scream and yell my lyrics to the world, and hopefully feel better afterward. My dream is for people to allow themselves to truly FEEL emotions when it comes to my music and art/writing, as some artists have for me. Music inspires me to go after my passions and dreams, no matter how stupid they seem, live my life the way I desire, and express my emotions freely and openly. I wish for my music to make people feel as though they have a purpose on Earth.