Are You an Egg, a Carrot, or a Coffee Bean?

Everyone experiences trial and hardship, but the difference between you and me is how we choose to respond to the boiling waters. I am an egg. I go into the situation with a go with the flow sort of attitude, but as troubling waters threaten to engulf me I turn hard. Although my insides have changed, looking from the outside l remain the same. I put on my “everything’s okay” mask and hide behind my shell. I think that maybe if I just push this away and not process it yet it will all go away. When trouble comes my heart becomes hard and I put up a barrier not letting anyone in, in fear they may hurt me again. On the outside I try to make it look like I have it all put together when in reality nothing could be farther from the truth. I hurt. I experience pain, rejection and loss even though I try to hide behind what the surface suggests. My goal though is to be more like the coffee bean. I want to be someone that changes the hard times for the better, or someone that can find the single light amidst the darkest storms. I want to be the one that doesn’t let the things they go through define them. When the going gets tough I want to be the one that rises to the next level despite of the circumstances I am put in. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “A woman is like a teabag; you never know how strong it is until it’s in hot water!”  Your moments of greatness may just be in the times that are the hardest. It may come when the heat is insane and you think you just can't stand it anymore.  The coffee bean changes the the boiling water into something even better. It takes the heat that is meant to destroy and uses it for good. Sometimes being strong is the only option you have left and in those moments you have to decide am I going to be; An egg hiding behind the surface hardening each second, a carrot strong going into things but softening under pressure, or a coffee bean and rise to every occasion, changing the situation and not letting the situation change you. Which will it be?

Kari Wagner "A Miracle to All Who Meet Here"

In April of 1976, a little girl was born that was to be a miracle to all who would meet her. Kari was, at 6 months behind in development and her parents knew that, but what they found out from one of her therapists changed their lives forever. They were just having a casual conversation when Kari’s therapist said “Well, kids like Kari with cerebral palsy...”  During birth, Kari had a lack of oxygen to her brain which caused CP (Cerebral Palsy).  Her parents knew there would be some effects to the lack of oxygen, but never thought it would be as severe as CP.  In Kari’s case, CP causes her to not have control of her limbs and speech. Thus, making it difficult to communicate and do a lot of things. Kari’s mom and dad were very scared but this didn’t stop her one bit.

Cerebral palsy was very hard for Kari, Gary, and Nancy (her mom and dad) to get used to and live with, but it also has affected their lives for the better. She probably wouldn’t have been as interested in coloring if it hadn’t been for her parents who introduced her to art and taught her it. She may have been too independent to take time for art and not have had that great experience. Also, if she didn’t have cerebral palsy she may not have had such a strong relationship with her provider, God. She believes He had a purpose for her life and her disability. God made her the way she is and wishing she was different wasn’t going to get her anywhere. When she has her days when things just seem too hard, she looks ahead because she knows God is right alongside her for the long haul.  She had a lot of those days in junior high when she felt like she was so different from everyone else and that was a bad thing. Days when everyone was going to a party or a movie and she was left out due to her disability.   She has since learned that God made her with a special purpose and she could learn to use her abilities for His purpose.

She always wanted to color! She remembers her mom and dad holding the crayon in her hands as she moved the crayon over the coloring book. She would marvel at the beautiful colors that she saw on her coloring book. Never would a birthday or a Christmas go by without her getting a new set of markers or crayons and of course a pair of PJ’s. Ultimately her parents were her influence to start painting because they were the ones who introduced her to the wonders of art.

Kari was always a strong one! She kept at it with her artwork and became better and better. Painting wasn’t always easy for her, though. It was rather hard, actually. She decided to see an Art Therapists to help her paint more independently. She didn’t get it right away like you’d think if you’ve seen some of her artwork.  She worked hard to get where she is now. Sometimes after a paint session she was so drenched in sweat it looked like she just came out of the shower.  This was because it caused that much physical and mental work for her to paint.  However, she was very devoted and worked very hard to get it right.  Her art also helped her communicate her emotions. She had things to express what she wanted to say, but when you are mad you can’t express it the way she does for a normal conversation. She coordinated colors for each emotion, like yellow is happy, black is fearful, and red is angry. As she got better and better at painting she learned how to express her emotions through her paint.

Before she learned to communicate her feelings through paint she had to learn how to  communicate in everyday language. Basic things like food and water she used “eye pointing”, but that didn’t work for everything. There was a lot of guessing because some things just couldn’t be expressed clearly. Nancy and Gary knew Kari well enough to know what she was saying most of the time, but it was still hard. During the ages of 5-8 she had a board with 400 little word pictures called Bliss symbols that she would shine her little light attached to her glasses on what word she needed. That system was hard for her because it was hard to understand the pictures sometimes. One day, her therapists told her she should get a talking system. Her first one was the Light Talker, in which she used with a head sensor stick. Then, she moved to a newer system called Dynovox. Then, a more advanced Light Talker. Next, a Vanguard and then, a Vanguard II. Finally, now she uses a voice computer called an ECO. She is much quicker with this machine and it works well. Her life without technology would be even harder than it already is.

All her technology lets her get the chance to work in a normal environment. She works at a place called Rise. At Rise, she is a Data Entry Clerk. She uses a a shiny dot on her glasses as a mouse that inputs the data into the computer. Most of her work is entering names, addresses, telephone numbers, etc. Being a Data Entry Clerk is already time consuming and she has to do it with a disability. She has to be a lot more patient than most people. This does get frustrating for her sometimes, like when she needs something and has to wait for someone or if her technology isn’t working right. She is learning though, that she is not the only one who needs help and that Jesus wants her to be kind and patient with others. She is always trying to work hard on being patient.

Along with Kari’s Data work she has improved greatly in her artwork. She has had many cool opportunities to display her wonderful artwork in many places. She has entered in lots of art competitions around the Twin Cities. Sister Kenney Annual Art Exhibit, coffee shops, and other art exhibits have displayed her artwork to their people. She has also been able to share how she paints at a couple of places including the news station KSTP-TV Channel 5. Lastly, her paintings are on many cards for different events. All the while, she hopes that her viewers see all the wonders of God’s creations in the universe. She hopes it speaks to them of His great unconditional love for each and everyone one of us. She hopes her painting encourages them through all their challenges because they see that she can express herself through this and nothing stopped her even though she has this complex disability. She hopes everyone sees that all things are possible through Jesus Christ. That is the story on Kari. She never stopped going and it got her very far in life and if you keep on going you will go far with God alongside you the whole way.

Dear Grandpa...

Dear Grandpa,

The person we saw at the nursing home for so many months was NOT you!! You were my fun- loving, caring grandpa that would put out a plastic baby doll on the porch when you knew we were heading to your house just to see us jump with glee that our trip was finally done! You were my grandpa that would boast to my friends on Grandparents Day about all the crazy things you did when you were a kid! You were my grandpa that would always have those little hand wipes in the visor of your car that I thought were so cool! You were my grandpa that would set up that little pink camouflage tent in the den for us so we could pretend we were camping out in the wilderness when in reality 2 feet away you could turn on the light when we found we weren’t too fond of the wilderness! You were my grandpa that went to show us the “birdies” and hold us in the most awkward way but we didn't care we were seeing the birds! You were my grandpa that always had everything clean! You could often be found washing your hands repeatedly or if a sink was not available using those little hand wipes you get at restaurants you eat wings at. And now that I’m thinking about it I don’t know how you always had so many of those. Maybe you stashed up every time we went to one of those restaurants! Anyways, you were my grandpa that would make popcorn for us in that navy blue speckled pot. You would always say “Remember..” then smile your mickey mouse smile and say “popcorn on the stove” and then we’d both grin like there was something more to this pot then just it’s ability to make delicious popcorn. Like it was magic or something... and it was... to us!

You are a warrior! When grandma needed you, you were right beside her. When dad needed you, you stayed strong giving him encouragement that helped him keep on. You put trust in God and nothing was impossible for you. I don’t know why you had to have that sickness but I do know that God has a plan and He makes all things new! He doesn’t just take away the struggle and hardship He makes it into something that can glorify You! He makes beauty out of ashes! And that’s why despite the sad time we will go through in the weeks to come we can look positively to the future because we know that God is making something good out of this situation and I for one am looking forward to all the good He has planned! We already know that you are somewhere very good and we’re just a bit jealous but you will surely be missed... the real you that is! I could go on and on about all the special things you were to me as a grandpa but that letter would never end! You’ve taught me so much! A lot you probably didn’t even realize you were teaching me but I learned a lot by just the way you kept God number one in your life and I mean look how good you son and daughter turned out! You had to have been a REALLY special dad to have turned those two crazy kids into what they are today. Two godly parents that are teaching their kids the way you are supposed to live. Thank you for all you did in your short years on this Earth! You really made an impact on a lot of people if not directly, indirectly through you two wonderful kids! Say hi to Jesus for me in heaven! And always remember... 
I will love you forever,

I will like you for always,
As long as I’m living 

My grandpa you’ll be!!

Love,

Olivia

Women in STEM

What’s up with all these men? It seems to me that they get to do everything. Who signed the Declaration of Independence? Men. Who voted for the first 33 presidents? Men. Who walked on the moon?  Men.  When’s it time the ladies got some recognition for all they do. I sure would like to see some men stay home with the kids, cook, and clean all at the same time. Needless to say we’re pretty awesome, but one area we don’t get much credit in is the area of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). One would be surprised at how much women have impacted the STEM world, so the men better watch out! The ladies are here and better than ever.

Laura Bassi. Mary Walker.  I say these names and most people would not be able to identify these astonishing women. If I say Albert Einstein or Isaac Newton everybody would know them. The reason I am writing this essay is to give the wonderful ladies that came before me the acknowledgement they deserve. My hope is that women will get just as much fame and glory as men.

One very awesome lady I mentioned is Laura Bassi. This inspiring woman sure did it all. She was a mother of 12, which on it’s own is incredible. On top of that, she was the first female professor of physics. Now, they don’t let just anyone be a professor. She was one smart cookie. Even though she was the first female professor in England, she didn’t feel she was always treated fairly because of her gender. She went to her boss with a petition that stated she get more responsibility and a larger salary. With 12 kids, her husband Giuseppe Verratti, and prejudice men to deal with, Laura sure had her hands full. Yet she made the best of it and became a very influential and inspirational person to many women today.

Mary Walker had a mind of her own. She was one in 1.8 million female Civil War veterans. The only one out of all those women to receive a medal for the amazing work she did. As a young girl her father taught her that everyone is equal. That she was just as capable, if not more than men. He encouraged her to have a mind of her own. No one was going to tell her what to do. She was denied a chance to be a medical officer at first, but that didn’t stop her. She eventually became one. She went to medical college even though no one thought  she could graduate, but she did it. She went across enemy lines to treat civilians that were injured or sick. She married a man, in men’s clothes, then realized he was holding her back so divorced him. Nothing was going to get in this woman's way. In 1917 Congress revised the standards for winning a Medal of Honor and Mary didn’t fit the cut, so they took her medal.  However the last thing she was going to do was give up her hard earned medal, she so honestly earned. She refused to give it back. She wore it everyday until the day she died.

I just picked two ladies to recognize, but you better believe there are many more that we could talk about. Women don’t get much credit for all they do and trust me, they do a lot. I hope this paper and the others submitted in this contest will inspire young girls to follow in the footsteps of these strong leaders that came before them.  I hope the STEM career field will grow into a very sought after career choice. These women inspired me to do things that people may not always think I can do. Nonetheless,  it empowers me to do the impossible and prove all those who doubt me wrong. This essay was a learning experience for me and I hope, if anything you would take from this paper, a better appreciation for the women that help in so many ways in the area of STEM.

What Defines Me?

What defines me?? Well someone who hasn’t really gotten to know me might say, “ Oh she’s that smart girl!”, or “Yeah, she’s pretty nice.” Although, there is a lot more to me than just what the surface suggests. I believe that what defines me is not what others choose to assume they know about me, it’s what I choose to think. Yes, I strive to get good grades and yes I try hard to be kind to everyone, but that’s not even the beginning. Every talent and quality I have comes from a very inner passion that doesn’t come from this Earth entirely! It comes from my my faith in Jesus Christ and my strive to be all He has called me to be!
Now I’m not someone that is a freaky religious person and goes around shoving the gospel down people’s throats, but I do have a quiet, still confidence in what I believe. I also believe that everything that defines who I am comes from Him! Every passion, skill, circumstance, success, hobby, and even failure makes up who I am and all comes from Him! I have a confidence that has escalated through my middle school years that most kids my age have a hard time finding in this time of transition that I am thankful for. He has made me into who I am today and will continue to mold and shape me until I finally come home. I believe how others choose to think about me comes entirely from how I present myself and I choose to present myself in a confident, humble manner that generally makes others enjoy being my friend and if they don’t, I don’t let that define me.
I have always grown up in a sheltered, healthy family environment. . A large part of who I am comes from the type of family I come from. I have been taught to be kind and try my best in school and a lot of my parents morals have transferred into mine. And a lot of what is important to me I got from learning by example. Now don’t think that I live my life through my parents. I have adopted my faith and my morals as my own but the initial idea came from how my parents raised me. I have a supportive family and a loving Creator to lean on and that’s more than a lot of people can say they have. So overall, the tough, broad question of what really defines me really isn’t that complicated. Ultimately, my faith is what completely and utterly defines me and everything that is a result of that makes up Olivia Mae Kliner.