Life, man.

Words Count: 3,051

Kiersten Rabehl

Kiersten Rabehl

PLANS OF THE FUTURE

Life, man.

Words Count: 3,051

Kiersten Rabehl

“Your destiny in life is to die, but it is what you do in your life that matters.”

-Unknown

Life, man.

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Kiersten Rabehl

Gratitude to those who have shaped the person I am.

Thank you.

I. Kim Williams

II. Judy Lara

III. Aunt Boss

IV. Uncle Maxx

V. Timothy Jeans

VI. Annie Weng

VII. Mrs. Garrison

VIII. Mr. Jones

IX. Grandma

X. Claude Debussy

XI. Pink Panther

XII. Christoph

XIII. Uncle Chen

XIV. Mrs. Dutrow

XV. Mr. Gibbs

XVI. Deven Tau

XVII. Cameron Johnson

XVIII. Victoria Trovao

XIX. Mark Zuckerberg

XX. Tiffany Deng

XXI. Leah Huang

XXII. Hayley Jones

XXIII. Daniel Chavez

XXIV. Dr. Hoh

XXV. Mom

Life, man.

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Kiersten Rabehl

Plans of the Future

Contents Plans of the Future ........................................................................................................................................ 1

Plans of the Future ........................................................................................................................................ 2

Career ............................................................................................................................................................ 2

Home ............................................................................................................................................................. 0

Family Life.................................................................................................................................................... 0

Interests ......................................................................................................................................................... 1

Health ............................................................................................................................................................ 0

Works Cited .................................................................................................................................................. 1

Life, man.

Words Count: 3,051

Kiersten Rabehl

Plans of the Future

Ah. Hello. I see you have stumbled upon my paper. Well, nice to meet you. I’m Kiersten

and uh welcome to my life. Well, hmm, at least how it is supposed to turn out. These things

don’t always go to plan. I’ll get back to you later on and tell you what it was like. That is, of

course if I ever see you again.

Career

Internship University Job

Life, man.

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Kiersten Rabehl

To be quite honest with you, I have

written this over and over again to find

myself at the same place every time. I don’t

think I could ever be able settle on one

specific career. The

thought of it is just

too much to bear at

the moment. I have

always been

incredibly

indecisive and the

pressure to decide my life (even if this plan

isn’t set in stone) so early on, has just added

on to the weight bearing down on my

shoulders. Yet, through

all my troubles, I have

managed to have

narrowed it down to a

field of interest-

science! From an early

age onward, I was

always the curious one, the annoying child

who would ask why every few seconds. I

would even pretend to be a private

investigator at school. Kids would laugh me

off as a joke, but I

didn’t care. I was

having fun. It was

actually just a

couple of days ago

when I was feeling

a bit nostalgic and

was reminiscing on my quote-unquote

childhood (since really, I’m still a child)

about this. So, I thought maybe I could do

something that could tie in

both investigation and

science. After searching for

what seemed to be seventy

years, I came up with a

profession that suits my

interests and needs. A

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Kiersten Rabehl

criminalist (not a criminal, I promise)! This

type of job doesn’t pay as well starting out,

but has the potential to be a high salary job.

And they are apparently in sudden high

demand, according to Bureau of Labor

Statistics; a projected demand of 12% is

expected by 2022.

To become such a person, I would

require a degree in

one of the three

major sciences,

Physics, Chemistry,

or Biology. I figure

chemistry (maybe

biology?) would be

my best bet since I

enjoy Chemistry and

usually don’t fall asleep in that class. (Plus, I

want to learn how to make meth and then

become a drug dealer. By the way, Walter

White is my role model.) So, I went on a

search for some of the best universities that

specialize in all three courses. I came up

with three different schools: Massachusetts

Institute of Technology, John Hopkins

University, and the University of Rochester.

All incredible schools with rigorous

academics, they reflect what I want to learn

and what I want to do in my life. Plus, all

are conveniently

located far, far away

from California.

As a

competitive person,

it would only seem

fit to go to a college

that could challenge

me in ways that will

build me as a person and as a scholar. That

being the case, I feel like all three schools

(the ones mentioned above) are able to do so

exceptionally. Since they are such great

John Hopkins University Library

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Kiersten Rabehl

schools, they have high standards and

extremely low acceptance rates. A simple

4.0 GPA would not be able to satisfy. To

better qualify myself, I could take up an

internship at our local police department and

possibly take a psychology class over the

summer. I’m already planning to partake in

our Echo Academy to better insure myself

with the science part of things. Additionally,

once I am in my junior year of high school, I

could qualify to partake in one of UC

Davis’s Young Scholar’s Programs. They

have an amazing array of science internships

for prospective high school students.

Once I am out of college and ready

to face the real world (probably not), I will

(obviously) need to apply for a job. I’ve

recently learned that my salary wouldn’t just

reflect my skills, but rather my geographic

location too. If I were to be in a heavily

populated city, my salary would rise, since

there would be a greater amount of dead

bodies, and vice versa if I lived in a small

town. Since I’ll need to support myself and

my mother, I would like to have the most

money that I can make. So, I put myself on a

mission to find which cities have a higher

paying job for people in my field. I also

checked to see if it will increase or decrease

based on outside variables.

As it turns out, California is the

second highest paying for my profession

with a median salary of $80,140. Plus, as

time goes on, my salary is expected to rise

20% because of the experience I would

have. So, something that I might have to do

before going to my dream city, Hong Kong,

is stay in the Bay Area for a while. This

way, I will be able to have enough money

saved up in case any problems arise in Hong

Kong. Plus, it will give me a chance to build

up my resume.

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Kiersten Rabehl

Home

Hong Kong, a melting pot of all

cultures in an area of only thirty one square

miles, jam-packed with all different races of

people and a lot of

political confusion.

Just the kind of

paradise for me.

Hong Kong has

over fifteen

districts, all influenced by different cultures.

Central, located in the heart of Hong Kong,

is the most densely packed with over 2

million people. Job opportunities are

growing by the minute, as is rent. As you

can imagine, the cost of living there is

greatly higher than in California. To buy a

tiny 1400 square feet apartment, it is HK

$30,000,000 or three million in us dollars.

Either I win the lottery or I need to find

some ways to make more money.

So, what I could

do now is start saving

up. I don’t need a

million dollars, but if I

budget myself correctly

and make the best of

what I have, I will be able to stay afloat.

Something I could do is possibly get a

roommate. This will really help with rent

and maybe I could get a new friend. Or

possibly a serial killer who likes porcelain

dolls and stares at me in my sleep. Instead of

having a random person as a roommate, my

cousin, who also has plans to be in Hong

Hong Kong

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Kiersten Rabehl

Kong, might be more than willing to be

roommates. But, considering I am planning

for the future, I don’t know if something

could change between now and then. If

things

go awry,

I could

always

use

other

ways to

save

money.

For

example, instead of using

public transportation or contributing to the

pollution by using a car, I could purchase a

bicycle. This way, I could get in some

exercise too. Another thing I could do is,

limiting myself on purchasing clothing and

not eating out constantly.

Cities are a huge plus for my career.

For, the more people there are, the more

death there is. Thus, leading to more job

opportunities for me. The real question is

which of

the

fifteen

districts

will be

the most

suitable

for me.

Consideri

ng supply

and demand, the most

populated district, Central, would be best.

Unfortunately, because of so much people,

rent is even higher in Central. Almost four

times than average rent, but as you have

read above, I have found a solution for th

Central Hong Kong Temple

Life, man.

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Kiersten Rabehl

Family Life

Personally, family is

one of the most

important things in the

world to me. It is my

safe place. Regardless

of what happens in

your everyday life,

you can always come

home and feel loved. I

want my family to have that

sort of understanding, to feel welcomed. To

build such an environment where my

children will be able to thrive and grow

through compassion. Yet, I don’t think that

it is essential to have two parents to raise

such a family. Though I am young and have

a lot to learn, I want to prepare for the ideal

that I just may not want to settle down with

someone else. It’s just I

want to plan ahead for

all possible options.

Currently, there

is an estimated 143

million and 210 million

orphans worldwide. I

personally believe in

these children and want

to expand my reach in helping them.

So, instead of going the traditional route of

birthing children myself, I want to adopt.

The adoption process in the U.S. itself is

very lengthy and expensive, but I have a

couple of options to consider. Instead of

directly adopting, I could go through the

fostering route. If I were to do this, I would

be able get to know our child first and see if

it is a good placement. Something that I

Adoption Symbol

Life, man.

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Kiersten Rabehl

have to understand once I decide to adopt, is

realizing that I am only there to provide a

temporary household. This doesn’t mean to

not be their parents and love them, but rather

to be realistic.

There are five steps to take once

deciding to foster. The first thing I should do

is research foster care and sees

if it is truly a good fit for me.

In addition, to the research, a

good idea is to sign up for a

orientation meeting. I would be

able to get a good idea of what

it really is and become at least

somewhat prepared for the road that lies

ahead. At this point, if I still want to pursue

becoming a foster parent, I will need to

complete an application and sign up for a

pre-training program. Then, begins a home

study. A foster home study is similar to an

adoption home study where I become

evaluated and see if I’m suitable to be a

parent. The caseworker will conduct in-

person interviews, reference checks,

background checks, and home visits. The

home studies usually take three to six

months to complete. If I am approved, I will

be put into a placement program to be

matched with a

child. During

this portion,

there is a long

waiting period

and will require

Baby

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Kiersten Rabehl

me to be optimistic. Hopefully, I will be

matched with a child or siblings and they

will be released into my care.

As for marriage, it is a difficult

concept for me to

grasp. People get

married too early

on in a relationship

and don’t fully

understanding the

responsibilities of

it. They just put

themselves through the emotional turmoil of

it and end up divorcing. Although, not all

marriages are the same and end up that way,

but I would rather wait and find the right

person. In contrast

however, would like to

end up being the old,

crazy cat lady. So, as

long as I am not over

forty five, I would like

to still have hope.

Life, man.

Words Count: 3,051

Kiersten Rabehl

Interests

The first time I picked up a camera, I

was about three. It was one of

those fake Disney ones that

make a loud snap noise every

time you take a picture. Well,

I just absolutely fell in love

with that camera and took it

with me everywhere. The

story was that my father was going to give it

as a present for my third birthday, but he

passed away before he

could. I guess that's why

I loved that camera so

much. It made me feel

like he was still here.

But, my mom made me

throw it away, she said it

reminded her too much

of Dad (by the way, my Dad really liked

photography too). I was upset for a while as

a passive aggressive

toddler, but I understood.

Anyways, my passion for

cameras and photography

ensued.

Most people don’t

think about what a simple

photograph can do, but it is really powerful.

It captures a moment in time you can’t get

back and

reminds you of

the past and

shows you

what you can

do in the

future. It really

does speak a

thousand words. That is why I want to

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Kiersten Rabehl

continue to pursue photography. If not as a

profession, then at least as a hobby. At some

point, once I have become proficient, I

would like to convert them to canvases and

sell them online. This way, I would even be

able to make some money on the side.

There have been over 48 million

documented cases every year related to toxic

chemicals found in food. That is 1 in 6

people becoming sick over preventable

causes. I personally, believe in organic

produce, but buying it at the grocery store

can be financially straining. Plus, fruits and

vegetables aren’t always the freshest at the

store. An alternative is to grow the food

myself.

Some obvious necessities in

gardening are sun and water, but to

successfully live off my own plants, I will

need some strategies. In areas where

nutrients are needed, I could use organic

fertilizers. Such as, tea compost or green

waste. The plants benefit from the soil food

and the fertilizers reduce the risk of

underground water pollution. Avoiding too

much air is a key to maintaining soil

fertility.

Insects are a common pest to both

humans and plants. To avoid sickly plants

and infestations, I have an old family

remedy. I can’t reveal all the details, but

what happens is a nontoxic chemical is

placed into the soil and deflects insects from

eating the plants. Plus, the remedy has

supplementary minerals that are beneficial

to the plants. Unfortunately, there's no way

to allow the good insects in. So, what I

might have to do is place the plants directly

into the soil and put the solution around the

plants like a box. By doing this, I could

place the good insects in and the bad ones

out.

Life, man.

Words Count: 3,051

Kiersten Rabehl

Health

For as long

as I live I want to

be healthy, for

health is wealth.

There are actually

different kinds of

health (as I

learned in Ms. E’s

health class);

emotional health,

physical health,

and mental health.

Most people don't know that, but they all are

equally important. An important concept to

understand is that some days my emotional

health will be lower than my physical health.

And that my some days it will be higher.

The key is to find a balance. To be happy

and healthy.

Even at a

young age, exercise

and nutrition is

something I have

struggled with. My

plans to run in the

morning or eat more

greens, always ended

up like my New Year

resolutions. I have

tried different

strategies to get me

motivated, but to no avail. Yet, the other day

I was reading an article about loving your

body. To summarize, their philosophy was

to treat your body like a temple and

respecting it. After reading, I had a

realization about food. I don’t need to have a

strict eating schedule, but rather I should

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Kiersten Rabehl

regulate and even out the junk food and the

healthy food. In fact, I have already started

to decline my usage of meats and processed

food. Plus, the

occasional run seems

to be my exercise

routine. I hope to build

on this in the future,

but for now it’s okay.

One of the major issues I have is my

actual socializing skills. I have a hard time

starting conversations and keeping them

going. I would like to make more friends,

but I don’t know how to talk to others. After

researching some articles, I have found

some strategies. For

example, I ask open

ended questions and give

my honest true opinions.

This way, I could create

an ongoing conversation

someone. This also allows for an effective

use of communication.

Life, man.

Words Count: 3,051

Kiersten Rabehl

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Life, man.

Words Count: 3,051

Kiersten Rabehl

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