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On Monday, August 29th, 2005 hurricane Katrina a strong category four storm struck the Gulf Coast near the mouth of the Mississippi River. The storm brought widespread devastation to the Gulf Coast where it struck, flattening town and destroying much of what was in its path. Forty-eight hours before the hurricane hit the mayor of New Orleans ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city. The storm did not make a direct hit on New Orleans, and initially, there was a sigh of relief that the city had been spared the worst. Tuesday however two of the levees protecting the city gave way, totally flooding the city and trapping scores of people. Over 1 million people were displaced. The economic cost of the disaster was hundreds of billions of dollars. I do not recall this event because I was so young when it happened but hearing about it growing up was devastating to hear. I felt so sorry for all those who suffered and grew more grateful for what I had in my life.

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Cho enrolled at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg Virginia. In 2005 Cho was accused of stalking two female students. After an investigation, he was deemed mentally ill and ordered to undergo mental health treatment. He was not however institutionalized. As a result, he was able to purchase guns. At 7:15 AM on April 16th, 2007 Cho entered West Ambler Johnston Hall he entered the room of Emily J Hilscher and fatally shot her, he then shot Ryan C Clark who came to her aid. Cho then left the building returned to his dorm deleted items from his computer and mailed a package to NBC news with a manifesto against rich kids in it. At approximately 9:30 Cho entered Norris Hall. There he went from classroom to classroom randomly shooting students. He continued firing for ten minutes killing five faculty members and an additional twenty-five students before killing himself. As a result of the shooting, the State of Virginia changed its laws to match national gun control laws when it came to keeping track of mentally ill individuals who wish to buy guns. The US government passed the first gun control laws in a decade mandating improving state reporting. Shootings have been an ongoing problem for years now and each time another one happens the pain never gets weaker. It makes me ask myself why this keeps happening and how many more people have to die before a change is made?

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My brother was born when I was 2 years old on August 31st, 2007. I was initially jealous of my brother because of the less attention I was receiving from my parents. But as we grew up we became much closer and my jealously towards him went away.

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Senator Barack Obama won the 2008 Presidential Election. His victory came at the end of the longest, and most exciting election in American history. The 2008 election was the first election in 50 years, in which there was no incumbent President or Vice President from either party competing for the Presidential nomination. The absence of any incumbent encouraged a large number of candidates from both parties to run. In elementary school my mom reminded me of how much of a big deal it was that our nation finally had a person of color in office. It made me proud to be living in the generation of change and gave me a sense of hope for the future.

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When I was three years old I began preschool. I remember crying to my mother at first because I didn't want her to leave me. Overtime I was able to adjust to being away from her, and grew to love preschool and made many friends.

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When I was four years old my mom enrolled me in my first ever dance class. I loved it even though my twin sister didn't. My mom tried to get me involved in other activities such as gymnastics so we could be together but I never liked them as much as dancing. The feeling I got from performing was unmatched to anything else.

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When I was 5 I started kindergarten. The week leading up to my first day I was so nervous. I was scared of riding the bus without my mom, and being away from home a little longer than usual. My mom told me that I was so anxious about going she couldn't get me to eat!

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On May 2, 2011 an elite American military unit entered the compound were Osama Bin Laden was hiding in Abbottabad Pakistan. Once there they engaged in a brief fire fight and then shot Osama bin Laden. The attacking force made up of 25 Navy Seals and other commandos returned to their helicopters with the Bin Laden's body, other people captured at the compound and documents and computers. The 2001 terrorist attacks were some of the darkest times in America. When justice was finally served I could not help but feel overwhelmed with joy and pride for my country!

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The deadliest mass shooting in an Elementary School in the US took place on December 14, 2012. The killing spree began when the shooter( xxxxx) shot and killed his mother in her bed. He then took her Bushmaster rifle and ten magazines, each with 30 bullets, and drove to Sandy Hook Elementary School in his mother's car. She shot out the glass near a locked entrance to the school and shot Principal Dawn Hochsprung and school psychologist Mary Sherlach. After failing to find anyone in the school office, Lanza entered a first-grade classroom, where all the children were hiding in the back of the room in the bathroom. Rousseau, Rachel D'Avino (a behavioral therapist and fifteen students in Rousseau's class were all killed by the shooter. One girl who survived by playing dead later said to her mother, "I am okay, but all my friends are dead." This shooting in particular was the most devastating and memorable one in my life. For me this was because it was an elementary school and the kids were so young and innocent. My heart hurts for the families and those affected by the tragedy, and is something I never hope to see again.

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Growing up I had always wanted a pet. When I was 8 years old my dad brought home 2 kittens that his coworker was giving away. I was overjoyed to have a pet of my own and to this day my cats are one of my favorite things in the world.

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When I first started high school, I was excited for this new chapter of my life. I was finally beginning to feel more grown up, and loved being around the older kids. Unfortunately, my freshman year was cut short due to covid-19, but I still got the chance to meet a lot of new people and try new things (I dyed my hair black!)

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In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court ruled that all states had to recognize Same-Sex Marriage. The case was Obergefell v. Hodges, and it was argued on April 28, 2015. The court released its decision on June 26, 2015. This decision was one that had been needed to be made for a long time, and it is shocking to think it has not been in effect that long. Despite this I am still happy to see progression in our nation.

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When I was in 5th grade my mom and I made the decision to switch dance schools because I was looking to get more competitive at it. Growing up I was always a child who suffered from severe anxiety. This transition was very difficult for many years because I felt I was never good enough and struggled to make friends.

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When I was 11, I began school at CDMS. Transitioning to middle school from elementary school was scary, but I adjusted quickly. Soon enough I made friends who to this day are some of my closest and best friends in my life.

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When I was 11, I found out I needed glasses when I failed to pass my eye exam at school. I had no idea my vision was bad but it ran in my family on my dad's side so I knew it was possible. Getting to see the world clearly for the first time in what seemed like forever was truly an incredible experience. I nearly cried realizing much I was missing out on seeing, and from this experience extended my appreciation for nature.

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In 6th grade I got braces for the first time. I hated them because every time I went into the orthodontist to get them adjusted it always hurt really bad. For the 2 years I had them I had to tell myself that the pain was going to be worth it once my teeth were straight and I had that perfect smile!

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On the days leading up to election, polls continued to show Clinton with a comfortable lead. On election day itself, Hillary Clinton did ultimately win the popular vote. However, the voters of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania —who all traditionally vote for Democratic candidates— voted for Trump by a narrow majority. The surprising swing in the votes of those three states led to Trump’s electoral college victory. It should be noted that the difference by which Trump won in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania was less than the total of the votes received Green Party candidate Jill Stein in those three states. For me this election was a tragedy. I never felt trump was a solid candidate in office, and my belief proved to be true.

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When I was in 7th grade I made the decision to get bangs. My mom being a hair dresser always loved playing around with my hair and fully supported me experimenting with my hair. Unfortunately, I received a lot of hate from other kids at school, and I had to learn how to be confident at times when it seemed impossible. I never wanted anyone to know that their comments affected me.

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The fall of my freshman year my grandma passed away. This was hard on my whole family because she and my grandpa lived with us. She was battling cancer for the previous five years and we knew it was time to let her go. Seeing my grandma in her bed after she passed was hard to see as I had never lost someone I loved before. I I always miss her but I know she is still here with me.

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As of September 5th, 2020, there had been 26,959,771 cases reported worldwide, with 881,529 deaths. In the United States, there had been 6,413,086 cases, with 192,458 deaths. By mid October that number had reached 40,000,000 cases in the world with 1,126,000 deaths and in the United States that number reached 8,275,000 cases with over 221,000 deaths. Covid is one of those topics we all could talk about. We can all agree though that everyone's lives completely changed overnight and nothing has been completely the same since.

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Covid shut us down about half a month before my 15th birthday. Experiencing a nationwide lock down was something nobody had dealt with before. I took dance classes via zoom in my living room, did all my coursework online, and grew isolated from my peers. Despite this I tried to make the most of it and remain optimistic.

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During the lockdown, I made the decision to tryout for the high school cheer team. I never enjoyed sitting in the stands to watch football games, and the idea of performing in front of a large crowd of people peaked my interest so much more. I did not know it at the time but this decision was one of the best ones I made throughout high school. I learned so much about sportsmanship, leadership, and what factors into being a student athlete. I loved every moment of it and would not have traded it for anything else.

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When I was 16 I got my first job at Rita's. I was excited because I was finally going to be making my own money and start to feel more grown up and independent. At first I was not very good at saving my money but overtime I learned how to better manage it!

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When I was 16 my mental health deteriorated rapidly. I was diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and ADHD. As a result of a breakup that triggered these issues, I went through the hardest period of my life. I lost 20 pounds in just 2 months and was unable to eat without throwing up from anxiety. I could not go an hour without crying or having a panic attack for what seemed like forever. I became unrecognizable when I looked in the mirror because of how skinny and sickly I appeared. I am so thankful I was able to overcome this and get control of my mental health problems. Now I am a huge advocate for mental health and helping others with similar issues.

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When I was 16 and a half I got my drivers license. I was so excited because I was finally old enough to drive by myself. Getting to go places without my parents was so fun until I found out how expensive gas was.

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In a 6-3 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the Supreme Court upheld the Mississippi law that banned abortions after 15 weeks. However, the court went much further in its decision and overturned Roe v Wade and 49 years of judicial opinions that had affirmed a women's right to an abortion. When this decision was made I was devastated. It felt as though we were making steps backwards. I am still advocating and fighting for this to be reconsidered.

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Before my senior year of high school began, I auditioned at a new dance studio to be on their competitive team. I made this choice because the studio I was at before grew toxic and I knew if I wanted to love dance again the way I was once able to I needed to change my environment. Even though I was only able to be a part of this team for a year, my love for dance has grown immensely. I have made some of my best dance friends, and made memories that will last me a lifetime.

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Going into my senior year of high school there was only one school that peaked my interest. This school was at Temple University. I loved that it was in the city and it also housed one of the best programs for my major in the state. I struggled to imagine going anywhere else. And while I was accepted to the school, I was faced with the decision of risking my safety to attend a school in an area with an all time high crime rate. I decided it was not worth it and I am glad I did because had I not I would not have found West Virginia University, the school that fits me best!

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This past fall I experienced my last football season as a high school cheerleader. I was really sad to be leaving such an amazing program, but the specialties that come with being a senior veteran on a team surely made up for it.

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NASA announces the four astronauts for 2024 Artemis II lunar mission around the Moon - Christina Hammock Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. This news is crazy to me because it has never been done before! I can't wait to see how this trip plays out, and what new information we can gather from it.