I have been dreaming of the day that I become a nurse. Ever since I was little, it has been one of my main goals in life. Everything I have done, whether in or out of school, has in some way prepared me for my future nursing career. I have taken multiple extra credit health science classes and will graduate this year with a Certified Medical Assistant title. I planned out this course with my counselor when I was a freshman and couldn't be happier with where it has led me. I will be able to graduate with a well-paying job in the medical industry, one that will help me afford for my college. I have to pay entirely for my own college, so any money through both work and scholarships will lead me one step closer to my goals. I know that I will be able to make this goal of nursing a reality with hard work and perseverance. Once I have my BSN, I plan to branch out and find my niche in the industry. I love that nursing is so broad and allows a person to find what they really love and the spot they fit in best. I would love to become a travel nurse and get travel all over the world while I am still young. Traveling is something I have always wanted to do, however, I have never had the money for it. Becoming a travel nurse would merge the best of both worlds and give me the experiences of a lifetime. I could also be an ER nurse or a labor and delivery nurse. The possibilities are endless, and I am really looking forward to figuring out where I belong as a nurse. I am sure that there are many other possibilities of what I could do with my BSN, and I know that as I learn more I will become more confident in where I belong. My dad is the biggest hero to me and has been alongside my goal of nursing from the very beginning. He is such an inspiration, and one of the most humble and hardworking people I know. He was a Navy S.E.A.L. earlier in his life and later still served in the Reserves. He has taught me and my brother a love for this great country as well as a respect for all active duty members of service and veterans. I have an immense appreciation for those who serve this country and what they sacrifice for us citizens every day. I wouldn't be the person I am today without my dad, and cannot thank him enough for teaching me all he has. My work effort, perseverance, and dedication, it has all come from him. These qualities will allow me to achieve my goals in nursing and make my dreams a reality. I will do everything to fulfill the wishes of the little girl I used to be.

While I am in school, I really have to manage my time so that I am able to be in the best shape of my life. I am very involved in my cross country team, and try to go to every single one of the morning practices. These are at seven in the morning, so they are two hours before school and allow me to get a good run accomplished before most people are even awake. These runs are anywhere between 2-10 miles and allow me to keep my endurance at a solid foundation. Running is also extremely good for your heart and lungs and allows your body to produce more mitochondria, which in turn allows you to have more energy. I am also a huge fan of lifting and I have been since around the age of 14 when I started with my dad in middle school. Since then, I have gradually learned more and more about my body and how to best train for me. I now typically train during my off period or after school, which can be complicated with my busy schedule. I train around 4-6 times a week for around an hour and a half each session. Lifting is something that I really love and that is a huge part of my life. It gives me a great outlet from school and all of the stress that builds with my heavy class load of college courses. Lifting is something that everyone should get into and is a huge builder of work ethic and self-confidence, as well as being absolutely amazing for your body! Having a healthy balance with food is also a very important part of my life. In order to fuel my body for all the physical exertion that I am putting it through, I have to be aware of my caloric intake and macros. This doesn't mean that I am constantly weighing all of my food and tracking every single calorie, but it does mean that I make sure that I am eating a balanced diet and getting enough food to maintain my weight. Every once in a while I will track my calories for a couple of days just to get a brief number of around what I am eating every day. If I am between 2000-2500 calories, I know that I am eating enough each day. I also make sure that I am getting a good amount of protein, carbs, and fats. I try to cut out sugar as much as I can, excluding fruits, which overall makes me feel a lot cleaner and less bloated. This is all in moderation, meaning that I do occasionally have ice cream or brownies when I am really craving them. Thinking about nutrition is super important to maintaining a healthy, balanced lifestyle. During school, even though keeping up all of this can be challenging, I am able to get it done with careful planning and determination. I can run before school, lift after school, and pack my lunches the night before school. All of these habits have allowed me to be in the best shape of my life this senior year of high school.

Through my leadership in sports as well in school, I hope to show others the value of hard work and perseverance. I am not the most talented, or the smartest, but I have the ability to outwork anyone. I will get up earlier and train harder in order to achieve the times that I want to hit for Track. I will spend hours and hours studying for exams so that I can get the grades needed to boost my GPA. Through my hard work, I am able to achieve many accomplishments as well as manage my time wisely. My work ethic has become a huge part of my life, and I can only pray that others around me will discover what it can do in their life as well. It will open doors and provide unthinkable opportunities. If I could only share one piece of information with all of the people who respected me, it would be the importance of work ethic to a successful life.

Clearing one's mind is essential for helping with anxiety, stress, and overall well-being. Two of the best resources I have found to clear my mind are: working out and reading my Bible. The past two years have been extremely stressful for me as a high school student. With combinations of varsity sports, college-level classes, clubs, work, and of course covid, my life has been very hectic. I am a very organized person, so the craziness can sometimes affect me more than it should. I allow myself to get caught up in the rollercoaster of life. However, I have found a few activities that have a positive effect on my life and allow me to destress and relax. The first thing that I started doing was blocking out a time every day to read and study my Bible. Even though I was extremely busy, I was able to force a time for it. Anyone can make time for things they really want to do. This has allowed me to have a closer relationship with God, which in turn makes me a happier person. When I read my bible, it allows me to clear my mind of all the things that happened during the day, and just focus on that one thing. The 30 minutes of peace allow me to learn, achieve peace, and grow closer to the Lord. Working out is the second resource that I use to clear my mind. I have been lifting for about five consecutive years now, and words cannot even describe how much it has changed my life. Along with the obvious physical changes, there have been many impactful mental ones as well. I have become more focused, more disciplined, and more perseverant. My work ethic is like never before, and I am confident in my body. When I lift or run, all of my problems disappear in the moment. I once again am able to focus on this specific task and pour all my energy into it. My mind is cleared and refocused on the tasks at hand. It is something that I love, and will now be a part of my life until the very end. The biggest tip that I would give to someone who is needing to clear their mind is to make time for it. Make time to do or read something meaningful. Make time to better yourself. Make time to become the most hardworking, kindest, focused, version of yourself.

In life, some of the worst failures can lead to the biggest successes. In my sophomore year of high school, I didn't end up making the volleyball team. My school had a very competitive team, and a lot of the other girls played club volleyball, while I didn't because of financial reasons. I was devasted because up until that point volleyball had been a huge part of my life. Almost all of my friendships were formed from it, and I had a plethora of happy memories. However, this sport would no longer be a part of my life. I decided to try out the cross country because my twin brother did it, and the season was at the same time as volleyball. It was one of the hardest things I had ever done. We were running about 40 miles a week, and I was working extremely hard to keep up with the training. I ended up making varsity, and long story short, we made it to the 5A state cross country meet! As a team we made 4th, and I was overjoyed. I had created new memories, new friendships, and new accomplishments!! I stuck with cross country, and during Junior year we made it to the state meet again! We ended up getting 3rd place, the best that our school has done in twenty years! We had made it to the podium, and changed history! If I had ended up making the volleyball team, I wouldn't have been able to experience any of this. My failure was a blessing in disguise, and my perspective on life is now completely different.

The most helpful piece of financial advice I have ever been given was to create a well-thought-out budget with goals. This single handheld helped me to save as money much as possible while still allowing me to pay off my expenses. I have been working since eight years old, from a ranchhand to a cleaner, to now a server. I used to think, "I'm in high school, I don't really need to maximize my savings, so why do I need a budget?" This thinking changed when I became 16 and had to spend more than I ever had before. I had to pay the gas on my car, my insurance, my own shopping sprees, lunch with friends, etc. My parents were giving me more freedom, but with that freedom came more spending and more responsibility. I decided to create a journal to budget in so that I could really learn how to control what I did with my money. I did the calculations of what all my monthly expenses were, how much I was earning, and what my goal savings should be for each month. Now, this monthly journaling is a habit, that allowed me to feel prepared and ready to take on the real world. Saving money is now becoming even more important in my life because I have to pay for my college degree. I am confident that with my budgeting habits, and applying to financial aid, I will be able to complete this task without taking out any student loans.

The biggest problem facing the world right now is the moral decay of society. Even though the world keeps getting more advanced and modern, the morality of its people continues to decline. Cursing, which used to be used extremely rarely, is now seen and heard every day. It is completely normal for a person to stub their toe and spew a mouthful of words that would make a grandma cringe in horror. Rapes, murders, and sucides are all coniuting to steadily incline as the years pass. Depression, anxiety, and ADHD all grow worse, even with new medications being created daily that are "supposed" to help and even cure these complications. Instead of beleiveing in a higher power and living to make a better impact on the world, people just live for pleasure and pleasure alone. Almost all of these problems could be solved with religion, specifically Christianity. Everyone is born with a "God shaped hole" and every single person searches for the answer to deep questions. Everyone wants to believe that there is something more than being buried in the cold deep dirt. With God, life has meaning and a purpose. He provides us with a code of morality that we try to live by, even if we still fail. When we fail, we learn from it and decide to be better. Christians who actually live by the Bible are kinder, more grateful people. Studies show that people who are the most grateful are the most happy. Happiness is a choice, and with God, true joy can be found. Cursing, depression, anxiety, sucides, can all be helped and prevented by the choice to form a relationship with God that will result in life changing events.

The main inspiration that fuels my life, other than my faith, is my passion for lifting and working out. I really started lifting about 5 years ago, and my life hasn't been the same since. It has created a work ethic comparable to none, and a body confidence that only comes when a person puts work into themselves. It is not only something that creates results on my body but something that I truly enjoy. I can start or end my day with a lift and I instantly feel better. Even if I had an awful day, I can know that I gave my all for something and that I did at least one thing right. It is a constant mindset to keep up with and allows me to create and accomplish goals for myself. It forced me to create a lifestyle of perseverance, hard work, optimism, and plain fun. Lifting is something that I couldn't go without and has filled my life with joy and opportunity.

The quality I value most in myself is my work ethic. I have not met another person who works as hard as I do to reach my goals and face my challenges. Throughout every situation, I will give my all and persevere until I achieve what I set out to gain. And if I fail, I get back up and keep pressing until I am able to succeed. This work ethic not only applies to sports but to all aspects of my life. Instead of just taking easy classes, and breezing through school, I decided to really push myself and take all college classes. I have 2-3 hours of studying a night, and I always make sure that this task is completed before I do anything for myself. I have taught myself the benefit of hard work and discipline, as well as to never procrastinate. With my work ethic, I am able to balance a job, college/AP classes, varsity sports, and multiple clubs, all while staying extremely fit. The quality of hard work will help me in my life journey because it will help me to continually face and solve my problems. Having a good work ethic will transfer to all aspects of my life, whether in my college or in the future family I will have. Even now, I reap the benefits of this quality every day. Having a good work ethic also is why I am a very fit person. I am able to lift and run 5-6 days a week, all with my busy schedule. Lifting is also a huge passion of mine and the ability to have the disciple to train even on the bad days has taught me lessons I will carry with me my entire life. Even after the long days of school, or work, I am still able to persevere from the monsters of my mind and put effort into pushing myself. This quality of hard work is also a huge benefit in my job as a server at a restaurant. The managers where I work continue to notice my hard work and leadership and give me promotions. I treat everything I do as if it matters because I know that it does. All the little opportunities add up and provide me with ways to learn and grow, even if I fail. Having a good work ethic will carry me far in life providing me with amazing job opportunities and life experiences. It will keep me happy and healthy, working hard to give my absolute all in every little thing I do.

I am the kind of person who will work tirelessly until I achieve what I set my mind to. Ever since I was a little girl, I have known that I have wanted to help others and become a nurse. Throughout high school, I have tried to set myself on the path to success. In my freshmen year, I decided that I was going to take out Health Science Pathway, which is designed to help students who want to go into some sort of medical field. I have taken Principles of Health Science, Health Science Theory, Kinesiology, and Anatomy and Physiology. In my senior year, I am going to take Certified Medical Assistant, which will provide me with amazing job experience right out of high school. These classes that I have taken are all leading me to my end goal of becoming a Registered Nurse. The work that I have put in, the studying, and the perseverance, have made me the person I am today. I will never give up on my goals.