I could write this essay about all the benefits of becoming vegan and the cruelties of factory farming. But we've heard all that before, yet so many people continue to eat the dead flesh and excretions of once-living creatures that could feel pain. So, I will not write a nice little essay parroting the facts I know and the usual arguments about going vegan. Instead, this essay is about what finally forced me to confront the hypocrisy of my beliefs and how I changed my diet for the better. I had always planned on becoming vegan eventually. I knew how vital a vegan diet was for preserving the environment, improving the welfare of billions of animals, and even maintaining the health of my own body. However, I decided to put off this considerable change in my diet until I graduated from college and reached a stable point in my life where I made my own food on my own time. My procrastination ended when I saw the movie Cloud Atlas with my family two years ago. As soon as the credits started to roll across the screen, I knew my mindset and diet would be forever and irrevocably changed. Whoever's reading this- You probably haven't seen Cloud Atlas. It's not very well known, and for good reason, as it is ridiculously convoluted and overall a mediocre film. One of the many plotlines the movie follows focuses on a clone called Sonmi-451. She lives in our world in the not-so-far future, and, like all other clones in her reality, Sonmi-451 exists only to serve naturally born humans. The only comfort of the clones is knowing that when their eleven years of service are over, they will finally experience "ascension" and be free of their servitude. By chance, Sonmi-451 becomes involved with a group of revolutionaries who desire to free the clones by proving to society that clones are not meaningfully different from naturally born humans. Despite the pain and suffering Sonmi-451 experiences as a clone, she resists joining the revolutionaries out of anticipation and hope for her ascension. She believes that she doesn't need the rebels because, before the year is out, she will be free from her servitude anyway. To fully convert Sonmi-451 to their cause, the rebels secretly arrange for her to learn what ascension entails. Ultimately, Sonmi-451 is brought to a factory to witness ascension, which turns out to be the brutal massacre of clones who have completed their service. Not only are the clones murdered, but their bodies are processed for meat, which is then fed back to the still-working clones and the poorest members of society. Sound familiar? This is the horror of our society as well. Giant corporations raise billions upon billions of animals in abominable conditions only to ruthlessly slaughter them to feed their corpses to the hungry masses. There are so many better ways to raise animals and eat them, if that what people wish to do. But nothing, and I mean NOTHING, can excuse the way animals are treated now. I may have become vegan from a graphic movie, but shock and horror are not the best ways to convert people to veganism. Instead, I to introduce veganism to people through a short film called Hidden in Plain Bite, produced by the Factory Farming Awareness Coalition. This video gently but honestly discusses the realities of factory farming and what can be done about it. I organized a showing of this film in seven different culinary arts classes at my high school and will continue promoting veganism for as long as I live.

Maple I’ve watched them grow up, those two girls and the boy. I’ve seen all their grief, triumphs, failures, and joy I was here in the beginning, I’ll be here ‘till the end, And know that I’ll stay here, always willing to lend A branch, again. The squirrels endlessly chew my bark, They mercilessly make their mark. But I will make it through I will always be here for you Until the mold consumes me. I slumber through the freezing months I make it through all the cold fronts But my great strength cannot stop The rot that will one day drop Me to the ground. When spring comes, my veins will leak The sweet water the ants desperately seek The mold may slowly rot me away Though I will never be the ants’ prey I am still that strong. The decay spreads in those little white splotches Covering all my branches and notches It will eventually be my time But for now you can continue to climb My ever-giving limbs. I’ve watched them grow up, those two girls and the boy. I’ve seen all their grief, triumphs, failures, and joy One day, I really will fall But for now, I continue to stand tall Persevering.

Each morning, I make a to-do list for the day. I focus on keeping it realistic so that I won't have a sense that I've failed if I don't end up checking everything off. This practice also keeps me focused on what is actually important and helps me not worry and procrastinate quite as much. @iagjanzen

I remember being so happy after reading my first chapter book. There was something about that experience that fundamentally changed the rest of my life. I was in first grade, and before that day, I had read many picture books and short books intended for children learning to read. But on that one fateful day, during silent reading time, my teacher came up to me and offered me a new book, one I hadn't seen on the shelves in our classroom before. It was called "The Littles: To the Rescue," and despite it being the longest book I had ever embarked on, I read it in just one day, bringing it home with me and carefully sounding out the more difficult words long into the night. I was so proud to bring the book back to school with me the next day. I was delighted to tell my teacher that I had read it, loved it, and was ready for the next one in the series. And she obliged me again, many more times, with longer and more challenging texts, until, by the end of the first grade, I had read all 7 Harry Potter books. What I have always loved about reading is that in the pages of a book, I can find adventure, escape, love, knowledge, sympathy, magic, pain, kindness, bravery, and everything a person can imagine. Luckily, I recognized this at a young age. I delved into the pages of books, and I don't think I ever came out. Books are a lifesaving medicine for me now, an addiction, a best friend, and a guardian all in one. I read for fun, to find excitement and new experiences. I read for escape, leaving the pain, suffering, stress, and unfairness of this world. I read for companions, walking with my heroes as they complete quests fraught with danger. I read for new knowledge as I read another autobiography about a politician I admire. I read for so much more than I can express in words. I am passionate about literature because it contains multitudes. It has shaped me and so many others. Everything in the world is somewhere in a book if I can find the right one. And a library- libraries are temples of the world, each a wealth of everything that ever has been, is, and can be. Literature, books, and English composition mean so much to me- they always have and always will.

I still remember watching Frozen for the very first time. My parents, Aunt, and Uncle had gone out for the evening, leaving my cousins to watch my siblings and me. And there we all were, sitting on that hard old brown couch in their living room. It was snowing outside, something to be expected on an early December evening in Minnesota. I remember feeling reluctant to be there, to watch another weird movie only my cousins wanted to see. I sighed as the opening music began to play, anticipating something cheesy. Instead, I saw men cutting ice on a frozen lake. My exasperation gave way to curiosity, and soon I was transfixed. I stared at the screen, absorbing everything about the movie. And as the film went on, I developed a deep appreciation for the character Elsa. As a younger kid, I loved watching Disney movies. Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, Cinderella, Tinker Bell, Tarzan, The Emperor's New Groove- there was not one I hadn't seen by the time I turned six. But my love for Disney movies faded as I got older. By the time I was eight years old, I considered myself much more sophisticated than I had previously been. I thought that Disney movies were for babies and little kids. I was a big kid who had better things to do! When I saw Frozen, this misperception disappeared. I was allowed to love Disney movies too. I watched Frozen dozens of times in the coming months. I listened to the soundtrack whenever I could. My favorite song from the movie has always been Let it Go; my favorite Disney character has always been Elsa since that first night I saw Frozen. I love Elsa because she reminds me of myself. She has all this power and possibility, but she's afraid to use it. She's scared of hurting someone; she's afraid of how the world will see her if they learn who she really is. She is one of the first really strong and powerful women I saw on TV who made her own choices, did what she thought was right, and came out on top. I struggle with anxiety and depression. I'm constantly afraid of speaking up, of being myself. I worry about what people see when they look at me. And I tell myself- "I don't care what they're going to say... Let it go."

Just a few blocks away from my home is a Senior Living Cooperative. The building is seven stories tall and home to several hundred Seniors in my community. The residents run the whole place; they organize the cleaning of the building and pay for the food service and any additional services they need. They take care of each other, host community events, and give back to the neighborhood. I have the great privilege of working at this Cooperative. I work in the dining room and kitchens and help prepare meals and serve food. I also handle the residents' food requests, questions, and concerns. I appreciate this job more than I can express. I appreciate hearing their stories and experiences as I clear their plates. I enjoy delivering meals to their rooms and seeing all the treasures from their lives. I love meeting their children and grandchildren and even their great-grandchildren whom the residents love to treat to lunch on Sunday mornings. Though I am a food server, I take the time each shift to connect with the residents I serve. I make sure to get their orders right and bring them the food they want. They've earned it. They deserve to be happy and feel complete and satisfied, just like everyone else. I bring out the extra deserts after the meal to the residents who stay in the dining room to catch up with one another after the meal. When I'm not too busy with clean-up, I join them in conversation. I listen to what they have to say. I value my opportunity to work with Seniors. I've learned so much from them, and I think they've learned from me too. I will continue to improve the lives of the Seniors in my community as best as I can.

I think the meaning of life is to ensure happiness for everyone and all future generations. So many people die every day. Life is short and fleeting. Like everyone, my years are limited. I could die any day from an unexpected cause. I might die peacefully in my sleep at the ripe old age of one hundred years old, or I could die before my seventeenth birthday in a car accident. So, I have to live my best life each day. I strive to find beauty in the most ordinary things and joy in all the moments I can. I must take advantage of every second I get because I, like everyone, deserve to be happy for the brief time I walk this Earth. And I always remember that everyone else deserves to be happy, safe, and loved. Everyone deserves to live a good life and have human rights! I try my best to achieve this; I attend protests and sign many petitions. I also intend to become an effective altruist when I have money in the future. I will only donate to the most effective organizations so that my money has the highest impact it can have. I also remember my duty to all the humans that will come after me. There could be more humans in the future than have ever lived now! Trillions of possible lives hinge on the decisions we make. I have to ensure the happiness of future people too, and I can do this by choosing an effective career or making responsible choices regarding our planet, and human advancements. This is our purpose. Our duty to ourselves. Our duty to each other. Our duty to the future and all who will come after us. We all deserve to be happy.

I apply creativity in my life in a very untraditional way. I am not an artist; I do not have special artistic abilities. I am a storyteller. I love to weave words together in my mind to provide myself with a sort of escape, an outlet for my private thoughts and worries and wishes for the world. Seven years ago, on a hike with my family in the pouring rain, I began to tell myself a story in my mind, one of adventure on a never-ending path. Over time, this story has evolved and shifted. I have created a rich world inside my brain full of real-world troubles and fantastic events. My story is so long and complicated that I have to jot down notes now and then to remind myself of everything that I have made happen. The original story I told became the backstory to my current characters, whom I call fifth-gen (as in the fifth generation) because of their ancestors I focused heavily on before I moved on to tell about their offspring. My story is a comfort to me in many ways. When I am confused about something that has happened to me, I process the event by weaving a variation of it into Nirith, the island of my creation on which my story mainly takes place. When I am anxious, I escape my fears and worries by retreating into my story that I can control, unlike life. And when I am scared, I focus on my characters' courage as they face their challenges so I may take their bravery as my own. My story means so much to me. Telling it to myself is how I escape and address reality. It is how I apply my creativity in a useful way to me.

I have learned that I have very negative self-talk. Anytime, anywhere, I tend to find the worst in myself. If someone says something to me, I always seem to distort it to be the most offensive and mean thing possible. I read into everything and find ways to affirm to myself just how fundamentally flawed I am. Now, I can see this and describe this bad habit with clarity. But just a few months ago, I wasn't aware of how much I was hurting myself by telling myself very negative things. In January, I received an email from a mailing list, and I downloaded the positive affirmations inside without really thinking about it. I opened the pdf, read the first affirmation, and immediately began to cry. It read: "I deserve to be truly and completely happy." I realized that I didn't think I deserved to be happy, which was a huge revelation. I couldn't believe I'd fallen so deeply into a spiral of self-hatred, but I had. I focused only on my worst qualities and failures. I could no longer see anything positive about myself. I started falling into self-loathing during distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I no longer interacted with anyone besides my family and occasionally my few friends. There was little to distract me; I was alone with my thoughts without the bustle of my busy pre-pandemic life. Of course, I'm not just over my negative thoughts about myself. But now, I can see when I start to read into conversations and blow things out of proportion. I can recognize when I'm treating myself poorly. I have read the positive affirmations every day since I got that email. I remind myself that I am enough, that I, like everyone in this world, deserve to be happy.

I live with gratitude and appreciate everything I have by journaling about what I am grateful for every day. I started this practice in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic first broke out. I was feeling particularly down about the world. To remind me that I was okay, I focused on what I had and what I appreciated in my life. I have continued this practice as time has gone on, and each day, I take the time to write down ten things I am grateful for, ten things that I appreciate that are somehow applicable to the day. Now, I have pages and pages of things for which I have gratitude. I am lucky to have so much and lead such a good life. Of course, my life isn't perfect, but I have a pretty great one. I have loving parents and siblings with whom I have good relationships. I have two awesome friends who understand me. I have excellent teachers, and I attend a great school. There is a lot I have to be grateful for. I can't forget the little things either! Everything around me I am so lucky to have. The sun shining through the window, the blanket wrapped around me, the house I live in, the computer I'm writing this on. There are just so many things all around me all the time that I am grateful for. It's so important to practice gratitude. If I can acknowledge what I have, I can be aware that others don't have those things; knowing this, I can be a better friend, ally, and person in this world.