Out of all school subjects math has always been the one I have favored the most. Instead of memorization and trying to remember vocabulary words like other subjects, math has tactics and applied knowledge. It doesn't require you to remember words, you have to remember strategies. Algebra has always been my favorite subject in the past and it is still my favorite now. I am also currently a big fan of statistics and calculus as well. Learning math is a fundamental step in anyone's life. I enjoy when people ask me how to do math problems and I get a sense of pride when I help someone gain a better understanding of math and it's fundamentals. Due to my love of math I have been a part of the mathletes in high school and I've made math my priority by taking college classes for math for my junior and senior year. Math has shaped my understanding of the world because you can't go about life without it. You can't buy anything without using math and almost every job that you apply for will include a math class. For example, a weatherman would need to understand probability and statistics to determine earthquakes, thunderstorms, and many more natural causes. Weather is important for us to stay safe and without math this wouldn't be possible. Math can predict profits for companies and determine their financial needs, income, and wages. Any person regardless of their job would need to understand math in order to determine their income, budget, registration, taxes, and personal finances. Math is the building block for everyone's daily lives. Despite people's opinions, math being a fundamental part of our society is not a bad thing at all. We have resources to help people with math to make people's lives easier. Items like calculators and the internet are easy access to math help. Jobs like accountants, financial advisors, mathematicians, and tutors can help those in need with math. My personal goal is to study to become and accountant or financial advisor. I want to help those live their lives comfortably by helping them with their financial needs. Even after my colleges years I do not plan to quit my passion for numbers and mathematics. I want more people to understand that if they understand math a little more or at least get some assistance with finance they will see the world in a completely different light.

If I were to influence a social issue I would begin with myself and my own views. Before spreading your own ideas and opinions you should begin by examining your beliefs and educate yourself on the specific topic you'd like to touch on. For example, I'm going to use discrimination. When learning about discrimination you need to take into consideration who is the subject that is being discriminated against and who is encouraging these behaviors. Determine whether or not your own actions are causing a negative habit that contributes to discrimination and educate yourself and mind how you behave around others. After taking time to analyze the issue you should try and find ways to take a positive role in your community. In this situation, as a black girl who has experienced discrimination and racism, I would share experiences and the negative actions that have happened to me. After sharing my experiences I would explain how this situation could have taken place differently if specific actions had been taken or use this experience as a demonstration to spread awareness as to the negative experiences people could go through. Personally, I would like to show people that social problems can be less prominent with positivity and hard work. Positivity encourages more people to understand and spread awareness rather than negative. You cannot force people into being good people and you can't force people to be interested in problems that people face. However, if you focus on more positive aspects and work harder to lessen the stress of the negative, prominent social issues can begin to become less harmful over time.

I like to practice self-care by spending alone time with myself. I'm healing mentally and physically by allowing me to do activities that make me calm and happy. My physical self-care activities include doing yoga, working out, skincare routines, and spa days. My ideas for mental health include spending the day in bed with my dog laying next to me, rewatching TV shows and k-dramas that I enjoyed in the past. It is a good way to ensure that I'll enjoy what I'm watching than stressing out and picking something new. This might seem like a minor problem but the goal is to be as relaxed as possible. Another mental exercise that impacts my life is reading my favorite books while drinking green tea with calming music in the background. Personally, I believe that mental and physical self-care should leave a cozy and relaxing vibe to ensure that the stress that forces its way in your life can be viewed with a clear mind.

I am J'nai Coach, 17 years old, and my long-term goal is to major in the computer science field. An important fact about myself is that I have a plethora of health issues. Throughout my life, I have been through five ear surgeries due to bursting eardrums, which caused me to lose hearing in both of my ears. Currently, my right ear has a small hole in my eardrum causing me to hear less from that side. I can still hear to a certain extent, but low voices are inaudible to me. I have also been diagnosed with many different illnesses and disorders such as postural Orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, severe anxiety, and depression. Because of this, my health pushed back my ambitions and I would lose interest in all of my hobbies and lose the courage to contribute to my future goals. That was until I started taking moments of my life to destress and think about myself instead of becoming overwhelmed. Along with discovering what makes me feel content in the present, I thought about what could make me feel the same way in the future. I thought about how much I loved computers, technology, and how possible pursuing a career in the technology field could make me feel happier with myself. I began researching different colleges, majors, careers, and how I could set goals for myself. While going through the researching process I found myself getting excited and made it my main goal to go through college and graduate with a computer science degree and have the job of my dreams, working with a programming team. When I achieve my dream goals, I would like to be a good influence on the younger children within my family, as well as present to people that despite the hardships going on within your life, there is always an opportunity to do what you're passionate about. There are going to be plenty of obstacles trying to stop you from achieving your goals, but it is up to you to determine how to overcome those challenges and create a life that is enjoyable for you.