I love art so much! Ever since I was little, I've practiced and practiced creating art with many different mediums and experimenting things I've never tried before. Throughout my entire middle school and high school career, I've always chosen to take at least one art class. I've taken Art 1, Honors Art, and Ceramics, and I am currently enrolled in National Art Honors Society. I've applied for competitions such as the Sutton Art Awards, Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, and NatureWorks, and I received an award for winning the Oklahoma Camera Club. As I continue throughout the rest of high school and into college, I intent to continue taking art classes to further my skills. Even though I currently have no plans for pursuing an art major in college, I do intend to continue using this special gift to bless others. Thank you so much for creating this scholarship for artists to show their work to the world. The first art piece features me and my very first puppy at eleven weeks old. I used pencil and black charcoal. My second project is a colored pencil drawing of candy on a tree branch. I set up the scene, photographed it, and drew from observation. My third piece was completely experimental but came out to be a wonderful work of art. I painted the piece using coffee. The nose and eyes are made of black acrylic and the dark brown shadows were created by mixing coffee with brown acrylic, however roughly 90%-95% of the piece is coffee.

American Sign Language (ASL) has become one of my most favorite skills I have. I continue practicing through signing songs and researching new signs. In ninth grade, my school required that every high school student must have two credits of a foreign language. I chose ASL only because I disliked Spanish and French. Little did I know, I had a hidden talent for signing and eventually won my school’s World Language Excellence Award on May 14, 2021. My teacher told me the best way to learn ASL is to practice through song. ASL is nothing like the English Language; it has its own grammar and syntax. Whenever I sign a song, I spend about two hours changing each lyric into ASL though a process called glossing. In every song, I research new signs that further my understanding of the language. Once practicing over a course of weeks, I film myself signing the song in order to keep a record of the music I have completed. I now consider myself moderately fluent in the language and continue to pursue this skill with pleasure. In the coming months, I will be starting a dual college course in ASL during my free hours of school. I hope to become fully fluent in the language and earn a degree in ASL.

Everything I do revolves around a growth mindset. I seek growth spiritually, emotionally, and physically. I have a deep, indestructible passion for God and what He has done in my life. With each passing day, I focus my world around how to grow my faith. I take in any information regarding my walk with God because I have learned that whoever says “Yes!” to God’s plan will see the impossible and I certainly have ever since I gave my life to Christ. I grow faith by reading my bible and devotional, listening to Christian music, focusing on the pastor’s message in church, and praying. Every single day, I learn something new and experience new miracles that further my spiritual growth. Emotions make up who we are as people. No matter what I face, I focus on the positive, joyful moments. I have gone through some really tough, heart-breaking situations, but each time I look deeply to find the things to be thankful for. Sometimes I have found that the joy comes after the sorrow, so if I cannot find anything positive, I whisper to myself, “It’ll be okay.” Accomplishing this mindset has taken years to master and I still have room to grow. Ever since seventh grade, I began a journey towards the positive and removed the negative. I seek growth physically by teaching myself to think of others before myself. This came rather naturally. Every day, I look for ways to help others by volunteering my time or simply being there for the people around me when they need it most. My mother always said, “Have J.O.Y.: Jesus, Others, then Yourself.” The phrase has influenced me ever since and because I put others before myself, I have truly been blessed. From experience, a growth mindset always results in success!

The world would be chaotic if no one was patient with each other. Even the world today struggles with patience because technology makes receiving things faster. Patience is important because it avoids unnecessary stress, helps accomplish goals, and makes people better friends towards others. Sometimes the result of stress is connected to one’s patience level. Learning patience will result in a much happier mindset and make life much easier to handle especially when trouble comes. The stress may come from waiting on someone or dealing with a difficult person. Whatever it may be, patience always wins in the end. It is not an easy attribute to gain, however with dedication, a person will not only receive a much-needed characteristic, but also become more easy-going. In order to accomplish big goals in life, a person must have patience. The goal may require training, hours of practice, determination, or studying. People who are committed to their goals need patience in order to succeed. Effort, an important quality needed to achieve goals, will also increase as patience increases. Patience is an attribute important to any relationship. Even the most stubborn people can be softened by the kind words of a patient person. A person like that will never stop loving no matter how much others hurt them. They will be devoted to helping others and will make a positive impact on the world. Patience is never easy but not impossible. Patient people will be respected because of the kindness they display to others. Patience will result in a much happier world, so show a little patience and watch positive impact it will have on your life.

Everyone needs to feel loved, and part of having a good friend is caring for one another. Friendship should build trust, personality, and compassion. Trust is the foundation of friendship. Why would someone have a friend they could not trust? A trustworthy friend will walk through your trials with you and be a mentor of positive support. They will not be self-centered and put your needs above their own. A friend you can trust never will gossip about your deepest problems but rather be right by your side to guide you through. A friendship built on trust can never be broken. Depending on who one’s friends are will shape personality. If a person wanted to be positive, loving, and forgiving, then they need to find a friend who will support and help grow those attributes in his or her life. A friend should have a personality that compliments yours or what you hope to be. A person who has a negative impact will eventually bring the other down resulting in a broken relationship. By caring for one another, friends will build each other’s character in a positive direction. A friendship should always include compassion otherwise it is no friendship. Compassion is a branch of trust. If a friend has trust, compassion will follow. Compassion means seeking to understand each other’s differences and listening to the other’s deepest heartbreaks. Compassion in a friendship promotes positivity and self-worth by showing each other that they are not alone. Trust, personality, and compassion are three of many foundations of a friendship. The definition of friendship is always being there for each other in all circumstances. A good friend will never pull you down, but instead, build you up to be the best person you could ever be. That is what friendship means to me.

The most inspiring book I’ve ever read is An Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers. She truly captures the meaning of unending love and reveals through the characters that no one is too far from forgiveness. The story begins at the fall of Jerusalem where a Jewish girl, Hadassah, is taken captive and sold as a household slave to a Roman family. The simple slave girl becomes the family’s soul interest after noticing her unusual devotion to her God. Jealousy of who has the right to spent time with the slave girl begins to ruin the family’s relationship. Believing that the only way to bring the family together is to destroy Hadassah, Julia sends the innocent slave into the Roman arena to be executed along with other Christians. After she barely survives from dying, Hadassah’s calling to return drives her to the family once again. However, the veils she wears to cover up the permeant scars on her face hides her true identity from the family. Julia eventually confesses her wrongs and upon hearing her words, Hadassah reveals herself and forgives Julia despite what she did. Marcus, who out of anger disowned Julia after seeing Hadassah in the arena, decided to forgive her too. An Echo in the Darkness has changed my life knowing everyone can be forgiven no matter what they do. Hadassah could have held a grudge against Julia, but she did not because she knew God loved Julia anyway. If people want to change the world, it must begin with loving and forgiving others. This novel is the perfect definition of what love truly is. Love is forgiving, patient, and kind. Through God, love is constant and never ending. For those reasons, I adore this novel and hope everyone I tell will read it.

Although a person only lives one life, the love they display to others will be remembered for generations. The most important way to have a positive impact on the world is through loving those around us. Love is like a tree. From it grows branches of kindness, forgiveness, patience, and joy. It forgives the unfriendly and destroys sinful emotions. I’ve chosen to show love towards everyone I meet even if they are cruel to me. When I was about nine or ten years old, there was a boy in my class who treated me very disrespectfully by saying mean words and kicking me over and over again. I could have responded with anger or kicked him back, but on the contrary, I chose to be kind. I forgave him, encouraged him when he accomplished a project, and offered to help him numerous times. Eventually, the boy respected me and stopped being mean. I chose love over hate and in result, I discovered patience I never knew I possessed. Joy radiated not only from me, but the once unkind boy I gave it to. Love is a miraculous tool that shatters negative emotions. When I first arrived at my workplace, I noticed immediately how easily my co-workers grumbled and stressed about the smallest of ordeals. Working for a whole summer, four days a week, gave me chance to share the positive side in situations and encourage them in their stress. Slowly over time, I began to notice my co-workers, in their own ways, expressing the things they were thankful for instead of resorting immediately to complaining. These stories are only a fraction of what love can accomplish. To truly change the world, we must love one another. Chose to show kindness in your life and watch where it takes you.

My dream life includes attending a small Christian college to pursue a career in elementary education. Upon graduating, my goal is to live and teach at a private school near Grand Lake in Oklahoma. Teaching at a private school will allow me to connect more closely and build family-like relationships with the parents, students, and fellow teachers. Since some private schools do not have many students, I will be able to have more one-on-one teaching with the children in hopes to offer them the best learning experience I can give. On Grand Lake, I’ll custom build a dream home that incorporates numerous windows to enjoy the outdoors, a cozy office space with warm vanilla scented candles, and a small art studio to continue growing my personal hobbies of painting, crafting, and ceramics. Raising my children at the lake will give them a safe place to explore nature. As a teenager, my favorite memories of being at the lake are kayaking in our cove, watching the sunset over the horizon, feeling the cool evening breeze brush past my face as I ride in the golf cart with my sisters, exploring new “magical” coves on our wave runners, and swimming on my back at nine-o-clock at night watching the constellations, planets, satellites, and meteor showers appear in the star-lit sky. All these experiences I hope to pass on to my children and provide them with a safe location to run around and create their own memories. I envision my dream life encompassing all these goals. Never be afraid to dream big because someday, they might become reality…

Sometimes the dark situations around the world seem impossible to escape. The problems drown out positive thoughts and worry takes its place. However, no matter what happens, trust in God. My favorite bible verse that my life is built upon is Isaiah 26:4, “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.” During the hardest moments of my life, I put my trust in God, and it has changed my world forever. The world around us is constantly changing, but God is “Rock eternal” meaning He is our firm foundation and ever present in troubling situations. In the beginning of 2020, my sister became sick and was sent to the hospital. The doctors struggled to find a diagnosis, but tests revealed nothing. Laying in bed at night, I continually whispered, “I trust you, Jesus.” I knew deep in my heart, if I stay focused on God, miracles will unfold. Weeks later, the diagnosis finally came in. My sister had Lupus, an incurable autoimmune disease that attacks the organs and can be managed only through medicines and treatments. I continued to pray to God, day and night, fighting off the doubts and fears with trust that God will help us through. Months went by before an answer came. A diet called Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB), discovered by a medical doctor, was found to be a possible healing to Lupus. My whole family pitched in and supported my sister in hopes that WFPB might be a way calm the side effects of Lupus. With God’s incredible healing touch, my sister is now cured from Lupus and off the medications. During the dark times, I chose to trust God despite what was thrown at me, and the Lord has blessed me beyond anything I could have imagined. It doesn’t matter what we face, God is always there and will never leave. Isaiah 26:4 is a perfect example of how I live, and this verse kept me on track when I began to worry. Trusting in God will open the doors of thankfulness, joy, and miracles that cannot be opened otherwise. Live by this verse and the Lord God, who is constant in all circumstances, will answer prayers with ten times more blessings than expected. In darkness, sickness, fear, and worry, “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is Rock eternal.”