Charles B. Runnels Youth Citizenship Seminar is a camp for upperclassmen in high school to attend lectures by resilient community leaders focused on shaping the youth for the future. Being surrounded by a diverse group of people my age who were genuine and vulnerable provided me with the understanding that educational background is important. Each of us was chosen based on our leadership, whether it be in sports or other extracurriculars, and based on our desire to serve in our community. We went through a week of gaining the perspective of 16 different speakers, who were confident in their values and demonstrated the positive results of self-discipline and perseverance. High School serves as a personal growth period in a young person's life, instilling crucial virtues that will guide people through their college years and careers. Essentially qualities such as diligence, self-discipline, affected time management, and social skills all route from education. within the education system foundations are found to shape someone's life. Gaining the perspective of the individuals attending the seminar provided me with different perspectives. There was a time in my life when I believed grades lacked significance in someone's development. However, as I progress in my academic journey I have realized that grades are a testament to one's dedication and effort. They serve as a reflection of that individual. Through firsthand experience, I understand that reward is equally proportioned to the work put in. Socially, my high school experience had its unique set of challenges, finding like-minded individuals was difficult leading to a feeling of isolation and detachment from my education. Recently as I transitioned to the college level and after attending the seminar I found a shift in my perspective. I discovered happiness in what I was learning and learned how to apply it to real-life scenarios. This was relevant to the value of education and hard work it became evident that knowledge and skills adapted by education served as the value put on me. Finding a new understanding has encouraged my journey of Entrepreneurship. Using the knowledge from my education I seize the opportunity to establish my own business. This has not only been a testament to my change of mindset in education but the value I have inherited through my education and what I was able to bring to my business. Through my skills, I can contribute meaningful insights and personal experience from my educational background. Overall education is what forms value and the virtues one can bring to their future. Shaping the future through learning is beneficial to our world because we are all growing up in a world together and not wanting this world to go down and through education, we can cultivate more people of knowledge. Valuing the importance of Education will bring more educated people into the workforce and be able to provide value to their future jobs. I will be able to have a successful job because of the value I provide to business and how I will provide more education and I will never stop learning.

Charles B. Runnels Youth Citizenship Seminar is a camp for upperclassmen in high school to attend lectures by resilient community leaders focused on shaping the youth for the future. The idea of being a business owner was never shy to me as my parents have their own business, and being a part of the seminar really encouraged my drive to being a businesswoman. Being surrounded by a diverse group of people my age who were genuine and vulnerable was refreshing. Each of us was chosen based on our leadership, whether it be in sports or other extracurriculars, and based on our desire to serve in our community. We went through a week of gaining the perspective of 16 different speakers, who were confident in their personal values and demonstrated the positive results of self-discipline and perseverance. Socially, high school was challenging for me, as I did not have many like-minded friends, and felt isolated. Instead, I focused more on building a business and channeling my energy into sports. I was able to serve my school by being a captain in my water polo team, serving my local community, and I made myself a small business. I searched for ways to contribute to my town, walking dogs and working as an equestrian trainer. Through the power of work, I felt a genuine sense of acceptance and belonging outside of my family for the first time. The seminar provided me with an invaluable reset, motivating my heart to grow a new business and to formulate a new plan for my future. Chancellor Charles B. Runnels would say "if you let it", and this phrase inspired my deep self-reflection on who I was and who I aspired to become. Embracing the ethos of "if you let it," I was committed to making the most of this opportunity at the seminar. I recognized that to truly benefit, I needed to be open to change, and understand that being a business major will be more word than anticipated. The seminar's guiding principle, the 5 points of light encapsulated in the acronym V.I.C.E.S (Vision, Integrity, Courage, Education, and Service), made me relate where my life was to these virtues. These values were instilled in me by my parents, and I was determined to fully integrate them into my life after the seminar. By continuing my education and going to community college for my last year of high school I knew I was practicing these virtues. The seminar is the reason I grew my marketing business, have the relationships I have today, and graduated high school early. They said, “If you let it”, I did, and I did more than let it. I continued to have a drive to benefit my future and change the outcome of my future. This seminar instilled the motivation in my heart that stayed because I continue to let this positively affect me.