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I know I will have made it when I am surrounded by a family of my own whom I love, I have a job that I am passionate about and feel like I am making a difference in the world (no matter how small). To me, it is important that I touch the hearts of as many individuals as I can. That is one reason why I aspire to be an occupational therapist and have kids of my own. I love making others feel loved. When I am an adult, I will consider my life "successful" when I have taught my children what it means to give back, to care for others and to live a life that is focused on connections to others and compassion. Being rich doesn't equal success in my head. Although making a comfortable living is a plus, I would rather spoil my children with love than with money or things.

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One of the best decisions I have ever made was to quit gymnastics and join the school cross country team. The people I spent the summer and year running with are who I identify myself with now. I have learned that all runners seem to love life. We spend our time dancing to our favorite songs, having water balloon fights and watching the sun rise on rooftops at parks. My friends are easy-going, care-free, yet also passionate about doing what they love and spreading their happiness to others. None of us worry about what we look like when we hang out or what we are wearing. We care about having fun, making memories and figuring life out together.

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My most favorite class that I ever was involved in during High School was being a helper in Adapted PE my junior year. I have always loved learning about, working with, and befriending the kids with special needs here at North. Not only was I able to help them swing a baseball bat or kick a soccer ball, but they were able to show me that differences don't matter. That group of kids help to break the barriers between social groups in our school everyday. I was able to apply what I learned in Psychology class to that 7th hour gym class each day, and it taught me so many things about kids with disabilities and about myself. I loved being able to take a step away from the stresses of school and greet the kids with a big smile on my face. They helped me forget about my other worries with tests and homework and represented the importance of making personal, meaningful connections with friends daily. I cherish the memories I made from that gym class and use those experiences to better myself for the future.

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Even though I am really over the monotony of school, these past few years have developed me into the person I am now. My personality has altered a lot, in many aspects for the better. I used to be really uptight and easily-overwhelmed. High school has taught me that I can't be on top of everything all the time - and that's ok. Some days you are going to have 4 tests, a sports event and a club meeting. You have to learn to pick and choose what's most important to focus on because nobody can get all those things done to perfection. School teaches me to not sweat the small stuff. I don't start crying when I am overloaded with work anymore or freak out when I'm going to be 5 minutes late to first hour. Academically, I obviously have advanced a lot. But I have learned a lot about myself along the way too. I do wish that school would prepare us more for the real world, considering I am 18 years old and am still controlled by bells every 40 minutes. It's hard at this point to be stuck in such a constricting environment with the same students, teachers and classes. Nonetheless, my education has crafted me into a more intelligent, independent and patient individual.

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I am the youngest in my family with 3 older brothers. So, since I am a senior, all of my siblings are moved out and we don't have as many traditions anymore as we used to. But, we still have our bigger holiday traditions in place. Every Christmas we open gifts in the same order: youngest to oldest. After gifts, my brothers and I usually hang out for a while and then go for a run together or play football outside. On Christmas Day, my brothers and I have made our own tradition of getting Taco Bell for dinner. We drive around until we find one that is open and then order a bunch of food, eat it all, and pass out on the couch watching Netflix together. Although our daily routines together have vanished since we all 4 live in different places, we are still able to connect every holiday to keep our favorite traditions alive.

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Societal Events That Have Impacted Me... 

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Societal Events That Have Impacted Me... 

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1. Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting
2. Boston Marathon Bombing
3. Legalization of Same Sex Marriage
I remember when I was in 8th grade and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred - 20 kids were killed and 6 adults. It scared me and made my heart hurt so bad for all of the families involved. Since then, our nation has experienced many more school shootings and little changes on gun regulation have been made. I think this event made me appreciate how safe of a community I live in and how lucky we are to not have personally experienced something this tragic. I have become so appreciative of the little things and see this as a lesson from the Boston Marathon Bombing. Something I have always loved is running, whether it be for fun or in races. That's why I felt so much sorrow for the people involved in this horrible occurrence. These runners were just trying to do what they love and prove to themselves their abilities. It is so sad how much bad there is in the world. Throughout my 18 years I have taught myself how to be accepting and generous. When gay marriage was legalized, I remember being surprised that it was ever a discussion in the first place. This event reminded me that everyone is equal in God's eyes, and fighting over other people's sexual orientation is a waste of our time. I think all these events combined have forced me to recognize that we need to love fully and love now. There will always be hate and always be tragedy, so all we can do is try our best to spread happiness.

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My hero is my friend, Bella. I describe a hero as anyone who is there to save the day, which she always is. She is selfless, funny, genuine and very loyal. I used to think I would have to rely on myself to cheer up when I am sad, but Bella has continually helped me through whatever I need. A beautiful quality that truly is given and can't be learned is knowing exactly what to say at the perfect time. She has this quality. She knows just when humor is necessary, and just what to say in any situation. I admire her kind heart and how advanced she is in understanding my emotions and connecting to me in every one of our conversations.

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I think the most important thing in my life is my independence. Being a high school student, I feel like a lot of people my age are very clingy. Whether that is with their friends, parents, or relationships, I think people value their dependence on others too much. I have always wanted to do my own thing and have "me time". When I shop, I'd rather do it alone than with my mom or best friend. If I'm feeling frustrated, I like to write in a journal or drive around listening to music by myself rather than leaning on others. Teaching myself to be self-reliant has really built me into a more confident person. I used to worry too much about what others thought of me, but learning to do things on my own and go with my gut has pushed me to become a stronger and more assertive individual.

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Overall, I think technology is only negative if you make it negative. I do think that people become too obsessed with image on social media, which leads to jealousy and people comparing themselves to others. Instagram has become a place that essentially feels surface level. We have been conditioned on what you should/shouldn't post, what pictures get the most likes and what filters make us look the best. For me, I would rather just post pictures that I love that make me happy and bring me back to the moment it was taken. It used to matter to me what others would think about the pictures that I posted, but I have realized that it shouldn't bug me if others judge. I think that if we can make social media a place where self expression is encouraged and "posting norms" are broken, it could actually be a really healthy and positive place.

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I think my family just wants me to be well educated, loved, successful and happy. My parents and siblings value getting a good education and working hard, but this can be taken in many directions. None of my family members have tried to force me in a certain direction for possible future occupations. My family recognizes that I thrive when I am able to make my own choices because then I have passion for whatever I am doing. I know my mom wants me to have a good job, a loving husband and kids of my own. This really does match my vision for my future, even though it is a very broad guideline. I too want kids of my own and to be able to help provide for them, not just my future husband. I would love to be an occupational therapist, which my mom and brothers support. But mainly, I want a family of my own with kids that love each other just as much as my brothers and I love one another.

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1. Liam Hemsworth
2. Andy Grammer
3. Bert Jacobs
My best friend and I have always loved Liam Hemsworth. Not only is he handsome, but he is charismatic, humorous and doesn't seem to take life too seriously. These personality traits aren't just impressive for someone as popular as him, but are remarkable characteristics for anyone to have. My favorite music artist, Andy Grammer, also inspires me because of his lust for life and raw emotion he expresses in his songs. If I am ever in a bad mood, I love to crank one of his songs up loud and it instantly makes me happier. He reminds me of the founder of the "Life is Good" company, Bert Jacobs. I love watching his Ted Talks about stories surrounding the people his company has helped. Learning to live a life that is both successful yet still laid back and down to earth is a huge goal for me, and I see this in his perspective.