She walked across the stage, wearing a trendy striped dress accentuated with a leather jacket. Her name was Avery, and she was modeling in a fundraiser fashion show, showing off her beautiful crown, while I watched from the audience. The truth is, this fundraiser was for her, and she was sporting a henna “crown” that I had just adorned on her previously barren head. Avery was a thirteen-year-old girl who had recently been diagnosed with cancer. She also became the first benefactor that I was fortunate enough to impact through Healing with Henna, the nonprofit organization I founded. Though the moment was delightful, the journey that brought me there was arduous.A few years prior, I discovered that I had an uncommon ability to free-handedly draw ornate henna designs‒applied to the skin with paste, leaving a temporary stain. Not long after, it was watching my cancer-afflicted grandma struggle to find head coverings to her satisfaction that ultimately inspired the unique idea to locally impact others in similar situations. I established Healing with Henna as an organization that provides cancer patients and caregivers with free henna “crowns” and tattoos.Naively enthusiastic, I started off by reaching out to several cancer centers around the Triangle. After getting turned down multiple times‒due to legality or lack of henna familiarity‒I realized that it would be much harder than I had originally expected. Therefore, I researched legal and safety concerns, while also advertising, and devising a funding plan. Specifically, I drafted liability waivers, printed allergy information sheets, made business cards, designed brochures, created a website, and established a social media presence. Consequently, my first triumph in this journey was the opportunity I secured for my organization to provide its service at a large cancer survivorship event. The impact and connections I made at this key event gave me hope that my organization could reach its full potential.New roadblocks still emerged, however, often in the form of nonresponse. Demonstrating persistence, I continued to publicize my services to numerous cancer support centers, eagerly checking my inbox day after day. As a result of these efforts, awareness of my services eventually began to spread; I started to receive comments like “Oh you’re thethat henna artist from the cancer event last month!” Finally, after months of resiliently working towards my goal, I was approached by Avery’s family, having been recommended by a cancer event coordinator who had experienced my impact. I was overwhelmed with emotions as I was truly able to envision myself leaving a mark. Seeing that my organization enables people like Avery to stride confidently while wearing a genuine smile is a confirmation that the whole journey was worth it.Besides the zeal I hold for art and creativity, in high school I discovered a significant passion for engineering. I became active in our school’s WISE club (Women Interested in Science and Engineering) and subsequently ran for and became a part of the leadership council. I take seriously my responsibilities which include attending summer council sessions, planning future meeting agendas, setting up networking events, advertising around the school, reaching out to potential guest speakers, and above all encouraging other young women interested in STEM. Moreover, I exemplify informal leadership by tutoring students in math, and my classmates often look up to me when they are stuck or unclear.Also, volunteering regularly for Habitat for Humanity has been a great avenue for me to explore my interest in civil engineering via hands-on experience. More importantly, this laborious yet rewarding commitment allows me to improve lives in my community. Along these lines of service‒as the elected Event Coordinator on the Town of Apex Youth Council‒I collaborate with other board members to organize various community service events for our youth group. Furthermore, I personally maintain records of volunteer hours for all members.Aside from my other leadership roles, I have been shaped the most by how much I have grown from being a section leader in marching band. Grateful to be trusted with the responsibility of section leader for three years, I have taken this position very seriously. Currently the longest standing section leader in our band, I not only lead the largest wind section, but also strive to set an example for other section leaders. This position entails a medley of responsibilities: creating “lesson plans” for the flute section; showing up early and leaving late from practices, games, and competitions; planning and organizing social events within the section; providing emotional support for my flutists; maintaining morale; resolving conflicts; and, perhaps most importantly, exemplifying respect, maturity, and self-discipline for band members and even other section leaders.In the realm of academics, I have achieved consistently high grades and this, too, in courses that challenge me. I ask intriguing questions in class that go beyond the curriculum, ever-interested in delving deeper into a concept. On top of wanting to satisfy my curiosity, I make a genuine effort to apply my education. For instance, to implement my newly-learned formulas and concepts from Statistics, I often found myself calculating various probabilities during sports games!Furthermore, I have taken advantage of summers as a chance to discover new talents, enhance my creativity, and apply new learnings. Over an intense week at NC State residential Design Camp, I was thrilled to combine my interests in art and engineering. This experience even brought undiscovered skills to light: one of my professors at this camp said I had a “very good understanding of space,” and another commented that I had mastered the graphic design program surprisingly quickly. Bringing my passions to life as I built different structures and models‒both physically and virtually‒was fascinating! Another way I pursued my curiosity was by taking dual enrollment classes over summer. Weeks were spent engaged in biology experiments and exploring my interest in sociology, a topic I’ve always found intriguing. Having entered high school with some knowledge of my interests, I am proud to have cultivated new pursuits, and I strive to spend the continuation of my life identifying my passions.