# data[].attributes.body
In November of 2020, we moved from Memphis, Tennessee, where my sister had gotten her chemotherapy, to Cincinnati, Ohio, for her bone marrow transplant. While we were there, I lived in a place with snow for the first time since I moved from Chicago in 2018.

# data[].attributes.body
5/9/2022

The masks work. It’s completely confirmed. If they didn’t, my sister would be in huge trouble. In early December 2020, her immune system was still at zero, and if she contracted COVID-19, she may not have been able to fight it off. One morning, a doctor came into her room and said that someone who worked on the floor -  and had been in direct contact with Charlotte - had tested positive for COVID. At this point, Charlotte was so sick that if she wore a mask, she’d throw up because of the smell of her breath. However, the hospital staff told us not to worry. The person who’d gotten COVID had never taken her mask off while in Charlotte’s presence, so Charlotte was going to be okay. All of this time later, I’m still advocating for the use of masks. When they were required, I was always the person who would make sure that people wore them correctly. And even though they’re now optional, I still always wear mine. And what do you know, I have yet to contract COVID-19, over two years into the pandemic. Masks are an excellent way to stay protected from COVID-19. They’re quite possibly the best way to do so. They are convenient, easy to use, and they have the added benefit of hiding my ugly face from those around me.

# data[].attributes.body
I interviewed my father about the best possible outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic.

# data[].attributes.body
The Idea

The idea

That so much can happen

In such a short time

In the world

And in mine

Is insane

In the world

A global pandemic

The threat of world war

Complete social upheaval

Political differences exploding into violence

But also

Healthcare heroes saving lives all around

Vaccines being developed in record time

Kindness being spewed by those who can do so

Every single day

In my world

A sister with cancer

Three moves

Complete mental upheaval

But also

Family and friends supporting me more than I ever could have expected

Awards galore

And someone who means more to me than

Anyone else

So much can happen

In just a few years

Are the differences between my world

And the world at large

Really that big?

# data[].attributes.body
In 8th grade, I won a lot of awards. I won the Pinnacle Award and the Outstanding Student Award for 8th grade at American Heritage. I also won third place in the state of Florida in Public Address, a Speech and Debate event. Finally, I earned a full scholarship to American Heritage for high school.

# data[].attributes.body
I interviewed my cousin on the ideal outcome of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

# data[].attributes.body
In the summer of 2021, I attended baseball camp on weekdays, and after camp I’d come home and watch a show called Holey Moley, which is mini golf on steroids.

# data[].attributes.body
You can find a creative solution to anything online. Me? I’m always the one who has written far too much.

# data[].attributes.body
I often have homework assignments that take until late at night to complete. When I’ve finished, closing all of those tabs is always the most satisfying thing I do all day.

# data[].attributes.body
5/11/2022

Russia’s war in Ukraine is starting to scare me. The United States has declared that it wants Russia to be weakened to the point that it cannot threaten Ukraine and its other neighbors any longer. If Russian President Vladimir Putin decides to take action against this declaration, we could end up plunged headfirst into World War III. Europe would probably be the main battleground, but if nations like China and North Korea get involved on Russia’s side, there could be a scary conflict in the Pacific as well. And if the conflict escalates into nuclear war, the end of civilization as we know it could be upon us. Intelligence from Russia continues to announce Putin’s plan to play the long game in Ukraine, which means that if the United States does end up involved in World War III, I could be old enough to be eligible for a military draft. I don’t think I ever want to go into the military. It’s fascinating to think about the plans that are made by the generals, but I hate the idea of killing people, no matter what cause I’m fighting for. I don’t like that war exists in the first place, and the idea of having to actually participate in it makes my head spin.

# data[].attributes.body
In 2021, my father bought me a PlayStation 5 after I’d donated bone marrow to my sister. My neighbor recommended the game “Rocket League” to me, and I’ve been playing it ever since.

# data[].attributes.body
In August of 2020, my sister Charlotte was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia for the second time. We moved to Memphis, Tennessee, for her treatment and rented an old house in a nice part of the city. We brought our dog with us, which was helpful in keeping us mentally stable.

# data[].attributes.body
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I was constantly losing pens at school. Since my return to on-campus learning, however, I’ve been far better about keeping track of these small tools.

# data[].attributes.body
I wanted to make sure that my future self remembers all of the fun that I’m having as an eighth grader and knows to get something similar into his life whenever he sees this video.

# data[].attributes.body
On May 13th, 2021, I received the first done of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. Within weeks, I received the second dose, and I received a booster shot seven months later.

# data[].attributes.body
On Thursday, February 24th, 2022, Vladimir Putin’s Russia launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Russia’s military quickly stalled, and capturing Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv proved impossible. Putin seemed to adjust his goals to simply capturing the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine, where Russian-backed separatists had been fighting for years.

# data[].attributes.body
Barely two months into Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, Russia’s flagship of its Black Sea fleet, the missile cruiser Moskva, sank after allegedly being hit by a Ukrainian missile. Russian state media stated that the sinking was caused by a fire onboard in an attempt to hide that their flagship had been sunk by a nation without a navy.

# data[].attributes.body
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I had never worn a mask outside of a hospital. I wore one to an orthodontist appointment in March of 2020, just before we locked down.

# data[].attributes.body
On May 10th, 2021, the United States Food and Drug Administration authorized use of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 Vaccine on adolescents aged 12-15 years old.

# data[].attributes.body
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken away a lot of my favorite pastimes, including asking strangers if I could play with their dogs. I’ve missed meeting a dog on the street and quickly becoming friends, before having to be dragged away by my parents because we have somewhere to be.