GHCDS This I Believe: True Voices (B)

This is a quick essay on what I believe in and how some of my experiences led me to believe in this.

Elyssa Franklin a senior in high school and attends good hope country day school. I believe you can't make everyone happy but you can make yourself happy. This became very true when picking a college. I had two options to choose from one close to my mom and the other that fit into the price range my dad gave me. This turned into a division in the home between my father and I. He didn't understand why I would even give the other school an option. I stayed up countless hours arguing with my dad. But if I chose the school my dad wanted me to go to, my mom would have been heartbroken. She doesn't see me that often and with that school she would have seen me once a month. She was so excited and I just didn't want to hurt her. Choosing a college became a chore. It wasn't some exciting thing that all of my classmates had. It became so hard for me that I reconsidered even going to college and just breaking off my parents to do my own thing. I resented them for the fact that they were not respecting my opinions. They were living their college “dream” out of me. The more I thought about which school to choose I realized that I was choosing based on my parents' likes and dislikes. Not my own opinions and what school I wanted to go to. I stayed up all night for countless days just thinking about everything. Where I would fit in the best at. Succeed the best in. And I did it alone. Not with their help or comments. Just me In the end I chose what made me happy. I believe that sometimes in life you have to do what makes you happy and your parents should just support your decision rather than make you choose what they would prefer. I think freedom of choice is just part of growing up. Asking your parents for direction and advice is one thing. Making decisions should come down to what you think and what makes you happy. If someone can't be happy with you because of a decision you made, then you should not worry and try to give them space, they need to come to terms with the fact that you are living your life and they need to love you for who you are. In life do what you want so you can be happy and not make everyone else happy because it's your life not there's

Alexandra Bhola wrote this essay as a high school senior in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. In her free time she volunteers at her church and tutors students. She also enjoys running for her track and cross country teams.`

I expand on why I believe poverty is not a choice

Rosei Simpson is an 18 year old student in the 12th grade attending Good Hope Country Day School, she is passionate in writing. in this podcast Rosei will be talking about coral and how our coral reefs are dying and what is causing this, she will also be discussing ways YOU can help. coral serves as a protection for small islands along with breaches in other parts of the world and double as a habitat for marine life. she believes that we have the ability to save our reefs before its too late, but only if we all work together.

Andre McIntosh Common app The Journey Who am I? What is the self? Questions like these are the type I ponder about a lot, and the ones that changed my life. In order to find these answers I had to look into different philosophies such as Buddhism, and Taoism. And by trying to find these answers I’ve been led onto a path which has taught me many things, that have got me more in touch with my feelings and how to view the world. I was introduced to ideas of modern philosophers, learned about how many different ways I can view the world, and how important both self discovery, and self improvement are. And with this, my life was affected in a positive way, I can confidently say I believe in both self discovery, and self reflection. Would you believe if I told you the reason I started this journey was because of someone saying that they didn’t know me? And it's not like I was the most popular or well known kid, but the idea of knowing someone stuck in my head. With the idea of not knowing somebody, I began to question if I even knew myself or if I could ever find myself. Also, during this period in my life I was reading the book Black Skin White Mask. This book helped me to realize I had on a mask, and had no idea who the person underneath was, nor did I know how to take it off. With this new realization I started a journey that won’t ever end, and one that has changed my life for the better To get started, I did the usual google to try and find the answer to my questions. The answers I got from google led me to a spiritual side of the world, and I learned I was going through a spiritual awakening. When I learned this I genuinely believed it because it was accurately describing how I felt and my thought process. Now knowing that I was going through an awakening, I found new leads on the answers to the questions I asked myself. Buddhism and Taoism were some of the leads I had found. Buddhism has taught me how to treat others as well as myself, with the concept of karma. While Taoism taught me about how you can’t have one thing without its counterpart. By learning about the practices and beliefs within both Buddhism and Taoism, I’ve learned much about myself and my environment, so much that my entire mindset changed. I went from a sour and lost mindset that was disappointed in everything, to an understanding and grateful mindset that made my life better. By deep thought and research I've learned that suffering is a vital part of life, and important for one’s growth from Taoism, and from Buddhism, suffering is caused by some sort of desire. Meditation was one of the most vital parts of my self discovery journey. If I never practiced meditation I would have been a completely different person, and I would have never found out about the things that have shaped my values. By meditating I have become more aware of my thoughts, and with the practice of being more aware of my thoughts, I’ve become more aware of how my thoughts affect my feelings. When I realized how my thoughts and feelings affected one another, I was able to influence what I feel and I was able to see the world in a better light. Everything that I’ve mentioned in this essay, isn’t everything that made an impact on my journey. I’ve learned a lot on this journey, and I haven’t even started to talk about the second part of this journey, which is about self improvement and discipline. This journey has helped to better myself, find answers, and help me understand the world we live in and the people on it. The answers to the initial questions were not what made the journey worth it, but rather the feelings, thoughts, and experiences.

I believe that everybody should be looked out for. I feel that sometimes as people we can physically, emotionally, or meta-physically disappear. We become unnoticed, our feelings stop being accounted for from others, and we just become a number in the crowd. I learned this when in elementary school I didn’t have much friends because I was in an accelerated class and didn’t have many people to talk to. As a result, I felt lonely, which caused sadness as I saw peers run around and have fun during lunch time recess. Eventually I forced myself to hang around people until they started to associate me with them, but this was very hard to do. This only gets harder as you get older because as innocent children, nobody gives it much thought, but when you’re in your teenage and adult years you start to consider your choices more closely. When your lonely you might often find yourself doing illogical things for attention which is never good. I believe that nobody should be neglected. I feel that sometimes as people, whether consciously or subconsciously, we can physically, mentally, or metaphysically overlook people or actions. We look past companions’ feelings, actions, and make them a number in the crowd. I learned this when during a summer, in a position of popularity in a summer camp, I made jokes and had a group of friends that I had fun with. Through this though, I excluded people and occasionally made fun at others’ expense. I then realized that I had made the mistake others made, erasing people from my mental awareness. I knew how it felt to be ignored and mistreated. After this I promised to treat everybody indifferently as long as they did the same to me. Looking out for others makes people live better, fuller lives. Loneliness is a curse that many have to live with, but can be fixed by one person. Can you be that individual to fix somebody’s loneliness? Quincy delves into this subject as he shares his personal experience. Quincy is a Senior at Good Hope Country Day School. He loves math and making jokes.

I believe that people are lessons. As people we put a major value on the importance of people in our lives. We get close to them and believe that they are always going to be there. Sometimes we wonder why they are in our lives, other times we just enjoy their company. Sometimes we meet amazing people who we believe that are going to stay forever, we never see the end. So when friendships or relationships end we wonder what we did wrong or hate the person for anything they’ve caused. Sometimes we wallow in the fact that it ended instead of what we have gained from the experience. I gained this belief through my 10th grade boyfriend. I honestly thought I was in love, and I thought I had a healthy relationship. Looking back now I see the holes and the issues. I look back and realize that although I was 15 I was in an abusive relationship. Some days were good, other days we fought till days end. The most common thing I heard was “you are so stupid” then moments later he would tell me he loves me. I was young and naive, it never crossed my mind that I was in a toxic relationship. We all know the stories of men hitting and hurting women. With holding them from their families and friends. That is the idea we get when we think of abusive, we don’t often think about the bilitteing, the arguing and the assertion of dominance as abusive. We are not told about the boys who get mad if your skirt is “too short” or your friends with a boy or two. We don't speak about the young boys who hang up and don't speak to you because they assume your drinking alcohol when in actuality you are drinking a shirley temple. After 7 months I ended the relationship. The first I felt powerful the week following I crumpled, I cried and shook and regretted my decision. For almost a year this person was what I thought was my best friend and now I didn't have them. I tried to rekindle my relationship, but he didn’t even want to speak. It took time for me to move on and look back on my situation. After having a lot of conversations and self reflection I realized that although it was a hard lesson my ex was one. He taught me a lot of things but most importantly self worth, indirectly he taught me that I was worth more than anyone could make me feel. He also taught me that I should never give up my values and principles for anyone else. When I finally learned that lesson I started to reflect on other people who have been in my life. Each person left a lesson, something I needed to find out myself. Whether it was stealing is bad or that not everyone who says they're for you is really for you. So through these experiences and life lessons I managed to learn that all people are lessons. By me learning this mindset I am able to appreciate someone more, and not value when things change. I can continue learning about life and the people that are involved in mines Biography: Nyama Gibbs is a senior at Good Hope Country Day School. She is a student leader and enjoys participating in school events.

I believe that blood is thicker than water. Being raised in a family oriented household. I’ve learned to follow basic morals that family is one of the most important things in your life. Growing up in the Bronx and Queens I started to learn that yes you make friends along the way in life, yes you start to feel as if they are family but I also had to learn that just because they feel like family your real blood is what comes first. One half of my family wasn’t raised the same as the other side so growing up with one side for a good bit taught me loyalty in a different way, but I’ll always remember that scared 10 year old that was walking with his best friend going home from the bodega. We were right there my apartment was just a couple steps away when we were approached by two men and questioned about are business being around the area so late in fear I tried to respond but only broken sentences would come out. That’s when one grabbed my arm aggressively and my best friends fight or flight instincts kicked but mine didn’t I froze and my best friend was already gone. I was crying in hopes someone heard and to my relief my cousins came downstairs to see what was happening, the two men recognized my cousins from the block down and the same face I had when they grabbed me those two grown men made when they saw my cousins. I got walked to school the next day by my cousin and there he was my so called best friend the one who I thought was my brother, who left me there in a heartbeat we didn’t speak for the day and day turned into a week into a month a month into a year and now it’s been good 7 years.

Intro: Most people believe that with money you're powerful. Money can buy you anything in this world is what many say. It can’t buy you happiness though. You can be the richest person in the world but if your not happy, are you truly powerful? Her is an essay by Stephen Bannis on “ Money is not the key to happiness.” I believe that money can’t buy happiness, it’s the people in your life, your family, your friends, the people who really care about you, are the ones who truly give you happiness. I can relate to this belief because it greatly connects with my life. Many people would say “ I’m so lucky because I can get whatever I want and that I have life so easy. That they would love to trade places with me.” But what they don’t seem to understand is that I am an only child, and it is way easier for my parents to get me things because they don’t have to worry about spending more money to buy my brothers or sisters things also. So my parents get into this mindset that getting me all these items and gadgets is going to keep me happy, but it really doesn’t. I have to admit they do keep me occupied for a couple of days, but it’s just temporary. After a while, I get bored because I don’t have anyone to talk to and share the items with, and my parents mostly are always working so they don’t have that much time to do anything with me, and this process repeats every time I get something new. But when I am with someone that I can talk to and do things with, the whole world changes, I am full of joy and happiness even though some days I may look angry and annoyed, but on the inside, I am just glad that I am with people that I can talk to and spend time with. Most of the time I would rather be at school surrounded by friends that I can talk to and have fun with than at home surrounded by materialistic things that don’t really have any values. I am happiest when I’m around my family and friends because I value them more than I do money. I can guarantee you that if you were the richest person in the world, but you didn’t have any family or friends to share it with you, you would never be happy. To me, money is just a piece of paper that has no value to it, but it seems to control the world. People give money too much power. The world would honestly be a happier place if we didn’t care so much about money and cared more about family and friends. If someone didn’t have to get killed every day for a piece of paper. We are made to believe that if you don’t have that much money then your poor and useless and if you have a lot of money then your rich and successful. In today’s world, everyone cares a lot more about a person's status than their personality. I can guarantee you there are multiple celebrities that are just hiding behind a mask and showing out for the camera, but in reality, they are sad and dying on the inside. Honestly, if money wasn’t a thing, or everyone had the same amount of money and everyone was equal, everything would be better. We would see fewer people in jail for crimes they committed for money and more families together because they didn't have to worry about money breaking them apart. Bio: Stephen Bannis is a 17 year old senior at the Good Hope Country Day School. He values family and friendship over everything.

Nbiko Bowry is a Senior at Good Hope Country Day School. He is a great thinker and tries to be the best person he can be.

Essay Bio: Lidia Bogusławska is a senior at Good Hope Country day school. She is a world traveler and enjoys learning about other cultures and places.

I believe in love. Love is the strongest feeling above all other feelings. It is life giving or life taking. Love can be exciting and frustrating, happy and sad, Love heals and breaks. It’ll bring people together and tear people apart. Love to me is respected and disrespected. Love can be pleasant and cruel. Love can be tender and tough. It creates life and destroys it at the same time Lives aren’t fully lived until love has entered them. If love destroys, it must be love that builds. I've learned that Love changes everything. It can change one’s state of the mind, making fate, safety, and forever seem true. One who is crazy in love cannot but help avert his mind from everyday activities to thoughts of love. Love is a formidable feeling, thought, and want. People will turn inside out because of love. Lives feel over or incomplete without love. It becomes a drug, and the most addictive one. People will kill for love, hurt for love, and die for love. Love causes people to do some of the most extraordinary things and are willing to do them if love is at risk. Love is the fuel that constantly makes the heart beat. Love is what fuels me. It is my motivation to succeed. Without love, I feel lost. Thoughts turn to tears, smiles turned to frowns, and the light turns to a dark. With love, the heart beats anxiously, faster than ever. It opens my eyes each morning, lets me feel everyday will be a good day. I’ve noticed the small things, and in love the small things matter just as much as the larger things do. I no longer believe in coincidences; things are meant to be. Love will keep my heart anxiously beating, make me happy and sad, excite me and frustrate me, but most of all, love will drive me to success as long as I believe in love, I will succeed. Zackary is a senior at Good Hope Country day school. He is a photographer and is on the national soccer team for the USVI.

I believe that things happen for a reason. That even though bad things do happen, good will come out of it. When I was seven or eight, my grandmother died of cancer. She was 52. It was a big shock to my family and was a hard time for all of us, especially my grandfather. Why do the good die young? Why do bad things happen to good people? These questions couldn’t have a valid answer. We could only try to justify them to comfort ourselves. Now it’s been ten years and my grandfather has remarried and my family realizes that it is so sad to have lost someone that we all love so much but with this terrible loss came someone who will always be a very important part of my life, my step grandmother. Now I have had three grandmothers in my life and I know that I am so lucky to have been in the presence of all of them. Mostly what I’m trying to get across is that when something doesn’t go my way, I try to look back on a time when what appeared to be a terrible thing came out to have some not terrible aspects. I recently just got denied from my number one school and I was really devastated, but I knew that it was meant to be. That’s what I kept telling myself anyways. I did everything I could, I know that I worked hard at school and everything else I do. My mom told me that sometimes we don’t even know what’s best for ourselves. So even though I thought I knew what I wanted, I know that wherever I do end up going or doing with the next part of my life it was meant to be. I don’t think of this in a religious way either. I just think if it as, “the energy you put into the world you get back out” and making sure to focus on the positive in life too. If we look back into our lives and inspect every little thing that has gone wrong, something good had to have come out of it too. Even though that bad thing happened, and something good did come out of that, it doesn’t mean that they will balance out. It might just be one thing in a hard time that you can focus on and it will pull you through. No matter how small of insignificant it is it’s comforting to know that not everything is all bad. This belief I share with my parents and I talk a lot about it with my mom. Sometimes life is not fair. I know that it’s not fair at all and people get taken too soon and get sick or lose their job and so on and it’s not fair. There is a silver lining to life and to be a happy person it’s important to acknowledge that it exists and try to focus energy on that instead of the negative in life. I've had trouble finding the silver lining many times as I had a tendency in my early teenage years to be a negative person. Now I work on trying to get a perspective on problems before I give up or breakdown and even if I do this belief that I keep with me will always bring me back to a good mindset. This is why I believe in silver linings and the importance of acknowledging them. Biography: Lucy Klempen is a senior at Good Hope Country Day School and is 17 years old. She values her family and loves to spend time with them.

I believe in hard work. “If your going to do something, you might as well do it right,” is my mother’s motto, and if I think about it, mines as well. If you are going to do anything that ultimately will hold your name along with it, shouldn’t you do it properly? Shouldn’t it be well done? Why do something and put half the work in when you can do something and be proud of it. Working hard on something can relate to anything. It was a sunny, cheerful day on a Wednesday morning. I walked to my first period, Pre-Calc, with my friend, as we joked about a one-liner that her boyfriend used. Anyways, we needed to rush to class before the five minute bell rang, so we quickly went our separate ways, for we were in different groups, and sat down. I had to calm myself down because I was laughing so much. Then, suddenly the clouds grew grey and the day came to an end. I looked down to see what dreadfully laid, and there it was. Something that held all my nightmares and miseries. Something that I knew, just knew that it will torment me and put me in agony. Sudden anxiety came over me as I hesitate to flip this simple piece of paper over. I look up, my whole group distraught and then I turned to face the class, everyone in tears. I looked at my friend and she was the opposite of happy, she was out of sorts and broken-hearted. I turned back and thought, did I really have to flip this over, well maybe, maybe not. Yet, did I flip it over? The one thing in my life I regret. I had failed my first test in my entire life. I am in 11th grade and have broken my self goals. Was it because I didn’t work hard enough? No, not at all, because for the whole week prior to the test I spent at least one hour among my peers and math teacher trying to understand the material. So what happened? The world may never know, but the importance of this is what steps did I take to resolve this that will forever haunt me. For the next five days I received help from my teacher and peers. I went in again and again until I understood the material and had fully prepared for the retake. I kept in mind my mother’s motto, “If you’re going to do something, you might as well do it right.” If I am going to do this retake I need to do it right. From then on I was determined to succeed from this horrible unit, for it was my destiny. I worked hard, day and night, until I was satisfied. At that moment, I knew I was ready. So I took the retake, and was satisfied with the final grade I received. The lesson I learned you might ask? That my mother is right because what carried me through my goals was hard work and without it I would not have succeeded and done my best. Hard work is something everyone should strive for when doing anything. Everyone should work hard at succeeding their goals and strive for their best. I have many moments in my life where it resembles hard work, but my point is, you can work hard and not receive your results right away. It’s what you do after a setback and how you work to move forward. This then determines and proves your hard work. Do keep in mind, “If you’re going to do something, you might as well do it right.” Biography: Hanan Hamed is a Junior at Good Hope Country Day School. She is an excellent hard worker and thrives towards personal and academic goals.