My eating disorder is powerless, trapped as a rock at the bottom of a lake. Every morning of 9th grade, I scrolled Instagram, gazing googly-eyed at the blonde, tan, skinny girls I dreamed of emulating. If I wanted to be a role model, I assumed I had to replicate them. An obsession began with counting calories until it became innate, my brain programmed like a calorie-tracking calculator. When my smiles turned fake and my muscular legs frail, my body dysmorphia...

With its lights flickering, cars moving from A to B, sneakers hitting and high heels clicking the pavement, the city inspires me: millions of people in their niche contributing to the big picture. From the hub of my home school, SESP’s Annenberg Hall, there’s a view of metropolitan Chicago to energize me as I study the organizations on the other side of Lake Michigan. The Chicago skyline reminds me of generations before me—with $9.34, my great-great-grandmother settled in...

In eighth grade, it was [female name]. In ninth: [female name], and in tenth: [female name]. These three young women excelled in the classroom and fearlessly led our Student Government as Activities Commissioners, unequivocally the organization’s most coveted position. They displayed tenacity, assertiveness, and fiery passion: traits that aren’t typically celebrated in females. This, most likely, played into their losses in their elections as ASB President. My junior year, I became the youngest appointed Activities Commissioner. I felt...

I may be 18, but I never grew out of the “why phase.” At Notre Dame, I know my innate curiosity and interdisciplinary passions will be whole-heartedly embraced. Majoring in Management Consulting at Mendoza, I will delve into managerial science, unlocking the keys to truly effective leadership. By taking Values-based Leadership, I will learn how to use business to invoke good and instill loyalty, empathy, and faith into everything I do. Digging deeper in my pursuit of leadership, I will double...

“Hey, have you met Michael?” the pastor at my local church asks. A few weeks prior, I was directed to volunteer at the smaller church locations that had opened their doors across my county to relieve fear amidst the pandemic. Michael Avila is head of the Junior High Ministry, where middle school life groups were about to form. I didn’t know then that chatting with Michael would lead to weekly, hour-long sessions of crying, laughing, and connecting with twelve...

One day, I threw a rock into a lake, and my perspective elevated to a heavenly peak. Everywhere I looked, I was able to truly recognize the beauty of the Lord and this world He created for us. The prompt insinuates that God and a good life are separate entities… but for me, they are inevitably intertwined. The good life is working hard towards your goals, but understanding that God's plan is ultimate no matter what you desire in life....

I was six years old the first time I went to The Swamp. Adorned in an orange and blue tutu, I climbed atop the Bull Gator statue for a picture. The cheering and chomping, amplified by the stadium’s noteworthy acoustics, surpassed my every expectation. My mom had told me to anticipate loud… but this was Gator Nation loud. As a young girl, I felt overwhelmed—what if I needed to go to the bathroom? What if I went to...

ASB brought me to school every day. Yes, my deeply ingrained love of learning did too, but ASB made the boring and the routine dissipate into insignificance. My terribly-postured 12-year-old self, intimidated by my freshman interviewers, returned their fire of queries with quips and puns for the whole half hour. From then on, I knew I found my family on campus. In high school ASB, I worked tirelessly to redefine every committee I was placed on, reestablishing the standards for...

To me, a screwdriver isn’t just a tool, and SKYY isn’t just a blue atmosphere; I lost my dad to addiction—to drinking, to drugs, to women—when I was three. Every June, I would sit perplexed, surrounded by scraps of colored paper and sticky glue while all the kids in class were making Father’s Day cards. But I know I’m not the only one. Every Wednesday, I surround myself with a group of twelve eighth...

“No problem, ma’am.” I was taken aback. Ma’am! Where was I? To answer my question, I was in the South. Sunny Southern California may have all the sandy beaches and smoothie bars you could ask for, but it does not have this. My first trip to Tennessee, I was astounded by the politeness, hospitality, and life-changing food. Other people held the doors open for my mom and I. Sentences ended with “ma’am” and “sir.” When you ordered...

The gym lights are dimmed as I sit in front of the bleachers, waiting for hundreds of peers to flood in. Headset on, I hear cues from fellow ASB members: Luca at the door, Pierce on Audio-Visual, Reece with props… I chime in: “Five minutes everyone!” My heart beats fast, as it has since 5AM when “All I Want For Christmas Is You” awakened me. After months of coordinating dance practice schedules, mobilizing ASB to make decorations, and attending countless...