In this image, I have myself in a slightly tilted angle and stature. I lift my chin up not to show arrogance or higher power, but to show independence in my future. I look towards the camera, but also into the distance to symbolize hope and determination for what I envision to happen next. I am wearing a necklace to represent all things in my life I hold important to me, and how close they are to my heart. They are valuable, just as the necklace is. My hair is pulled back to put more focus on my face and features. The background is a white and busy texture to pop out the brightness of the portrait. I don't smile, to hide all emotions that lie beneath me because that is usually what I do. "I began to get used to lying" (Chevalier 114). I see myself attempting to continue that in the future, also. My shadow represents my dark past and everything I've gone through, but in the portrait my true self stands out and shows the path out of sorrow. I see myself not necessarily escaping my past, but accepting it and learning from it. I used my eyes to see my path and where I needed to go next. In a symbolic way, my eyes showed me to accept what happened. " 'But- you use your eyes to see.' 'True, but my eyes do not always see everything" (Chevalier 63).

I will achieve this in the future by continuing what I am doing now, with even more hard work and determination. I wish to further educate myself in not only academics, but on other things also. For example, life lessons and wisdom. I hope to go through many troubles, lots of hurt, but still come out strong. Maybe even stronger than before. I want to learn from what I've gone through and help others get through it too.

Hope is a main factor in everything I do. From time to time, I lose hope. In the future, I envision myself always being hopeful. I believe I can achieve many things. I want to be the best me I can be, and that's what I will envision myself to be. I will always change though, learning new lessons and creating more relationships with others. I may gain more thought processes and paths, but I will always stay true to myself and love others. I will not give up.