This collage includes a comprehensive collection of pictures I’ve chosen that reflect my values and highlights the best parts about my life.
Starting from the upper left corner: I chose the picture with my friend Annie Emme because it captured this moment of being totally carefree and comfortable. I felt so secure in that moment because my relationship with Annie is really genuine and loving. We always laugh together, so it’s a solid picture to describe our connection. Also, Annie is younger than me (a sophomore to be exact) and all the girls on the team describe her soul as pure because she’s so unconcerned with caddy high school drama. So, every time I see this picture, I think of the positivity and simplicity associated with childhood.
Below this picture is a shot with my tennis friends. The reason I chose to include this is because I think it’s so vital for high school kids to have a close-knit community aside from that of their friend-group and family. These three girls made my senior year experience really fun and were so supportive during and even now after we’ve been done with the season for six months.
The acrylic painting of John Mayer was selected for the collage to illustrate my love for song lyrics. Mayer is my absolute favorite artist because his lyrics are extremely psychological and capture emotions into words successfully. The reason why I chose this picture of Mayer specifically is because Mayer shows that expression of struggle is so beautiful as the colors in the background represent his music.
The miniature collage below is a collection of pictures with my friend Rachel. We spend a lot of time together and talk about really in depth concepts. We’ve become really close friends and love being silly together, too. She’s awesome and I’ve never really stepped back before and taken the time to realize how grateful I am to have her in my life.
In the upper-right corner is a picture of my friend Kate who I met this past summer and became really close to. We have a similar background in terms of family life and really understand the struggles that the other person is dealing with. She’s got this quality of self-confidence that I really admire and she just helps me stay strong when I need it.
My brothers, located at the bottom-center of the page, are my best buds. We grew up playing together in the backyard every day. They are still my strongest support system and essentially built my laid-back yet eccentric personality. They are my foundation and keep me grounded.
The picture in the bottom-right corner is one that I took following a really intense workout on a night after I had gotten into a severe argument with my dad. I thought it would be a solid picture to illustrate working out as my most successful coping method. I was diagnosed with major depression about two years ago. Medication has not worked. So, really, exercise keeps me stable and I use it as much as possible. T
he next set of pictures represents my achievements. The picture with the plaque on the top right shows my success I’ve had with tennis in my past four years at GBS. I’m a two-time state qualifier and captain of a team that finished fourth in state. The other picture of the treadmill that reads 4.24 miles shows the progress I made working out on my own after my tennis career was over. When I first started, I struggled to finish a single mile. In only a couple months, I built up my endurance and got used to running multiple miles without rest. This picture was taken the moment I beat my old record and I’m proud of the work I’ve put in to get to this point.
The final set of pictures is from my trip to West Africa that I went on last year. The picture of me getting cornrows represents my desire to be different. The photograph taken when I was riding the camel represents my love for adventure and the unfamiliar. Lastly, the snapshot of the little of African boy showing off his smile for the camera reminds me the reason why I love serving the community, which is a major part of my life.