Valerie Gomez, Palo Alto High School, Sea Ranch, CA

Walking on a path to the beach when the sun was setting, I entered a dark forest that surrounded me and it felt like all the bad and darkness in the world and how I saw myself in it. But at the end, there was an opening of sunlight; I saw it as a better world to be in and I felt relieved and amazed. It really changed how I see most things and I never forget there’s always a light at the end of a dark path.