Khristal ranks first in her class, captains the volleyball team and is president of the student government. But that only begins to describe her impact. “I have been an educator for nine years,” one of his teachers wrote, “and I have never met a student as creative, intellectually curious, and motivated.” Khristal has used challenges to fuel her passion and dedication to build a life for herself that is by her own design and to ensure her success. She is not afraid to stand up for herself or to advocate for others, particularly those who are most vulnerable in our society.”
In her essay, Khristal described a day when she was 11 years old that was the turning point in her life. “I was plunged into a dark depth,” she wrote, “into the space where I had no clear direction even though I could see the stars, I only felt the cold.” During “those minutes that felt like hours,” she wrote, she determined “to prove to the world what I’m worth.” “If life is hard,” she resolved, “I will be resilient.”
“After that promise,” she wrote, “everything changed. After that moment I don't live a day where I felt insufficient as I used to before, when I felt like I did not have a purpose.”
“I began to realize that I could have a very profound effect on the way people around me perceive things. By helping them to find themselves while I also found myself,” she wrote, “I had found my purpose, being able to improve this world and be memorable.”
Always fascinated by the sky and space, airplanes and spacecraft, Khristal plans to study aerospace engineering and physics.
The teacher/mentor that has made the greatest difference in my life is Leah Pascarella (Writing Teacher). Leah has been a person who has not given up on my creative and artistic side, helping me develop as a poet and my interest in philosophy. She helped me to find myself and to awaken from hibernation my interest in the sky and space.