I heard about YAC through friends and school mates who are also members. I want to join YAC because I feel like it is a great opportunity to give back to my community as well as show support for the people who are apart of it. I would bring many qualities to the council including kindness, compassion, leadership, integrity, communication, and self-awareness.

To me community service is a way of showing support for people, businesses, and places in our community. It is a way to give back to our community that has helped us grow into the individuals we are today. It is an act or job that is done simply out of the kindness of one's heart rather than motivated by money. I have been impacted by community service in many ways, one being I have met new people and learned many things about them. Another way I have been impacted is by being brought closer to my mom who I often volunteer at the local food bank with.

Academic pressure is a very difficult thing to deal with. It is an internal struggle that many people deal with. Academic pressure can come from many different parties, including family members, friends or even teachers. There are many different ways one could go about addressing this issue. I believe the hardest part of this concern is being able to realize that it is happening. The first step I would take after recognizing the issue is talk to someone you feel comfortable with. Wether that be a family member, a friend, a teacher anyone at all that you feel comfortable enough with to have a real conversation. Talking to this person may help you work through the pressure or even relieve it.The second step I would take is making sure that you get proper sleep at night. Sleep is an extremely important part of academic success and really success in general. A teen should be getting around 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night. Without this amount of sleep the brain does not function at full capacity making academic success harder to achieve. The next step I would take is making sure nutrition and the overall heath of your body is a priority. Without proper nutrition and heath, much like with sleep, the body cannot function fully. Once you complete these first steps the next would be to come up with new strategies to minimize the pressure that you are feeling such as new studying practices to help you feel more prepared in classes. The final step I would take would be learning to forgive yourself. I believe this the biggest step, for it can be very difficult to do. Forgiving yourself and realizing that everyone has struggles can be a very freeing thing. Allowing yourself that final step of freedom and lifting the heavy weight off of your shoulders. Although these steps may not work for everyone dealing with academic pressure it may bring relief too many people.

If accepted to YAC I will make it a very big priority over other things in my life even during my busiest season. I will attempt to attend all meetings and be present for all group events. Some extra-curricular events that may interfere with my participation are cross country, band, soccer, and dance.

No