COVER

On the Cover

By Roopa, age 17, California

Hi, SDM readers! I am unbelievably honored and excited to be on this month's cover. My name is Roopa, and I am a rising senior. Growing up, writing has always been my number one passion. There's nothing like the feeling of writing on a rainy day, or the feeling of finishing the first draft of a new piece.

In particular, I love writing for Sweet Designs Magazine because I feel that this magazine truly highlights each contributor's unique voice. Not only does it enhance my general writing and editing skills, but I feel that Sweet Designs truly supports its contributing writers toward becoming the best writers they can possibly be.

I have been involved with my school's literary magazine,Vertigo, for the past three years, and I absolutely love both journalistic and creative writing. With Vertigo, I contributed prose and poetry to the magazine, and served as the Production Manager for two years, where I led a team of about five individuals to produce the annual 70-page print magazine with Adobe In Design, Page Maker, and Photoshop. I love design and 'layout-ing,' so this job was perfect for me!

Besides writing, another one of my passions is Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), the largest and oldest student business organization in the world. Through officerships and councils, I impact the organization at the local, section, state, and national levels! I love that FBLA has pushed me to be a more innovative thinker, a better public speaker, and an all-around more successful leader.

I also absolutely LOVE music. I have been playing the violin for the past ten years, and I love performing at concert halls, churches, and at senior centers. I don't have a favorite composer, but my favorite piece to play is Max Bruch's "Scottish Fantasy." After the end of this summer, I plan on purchasing my own viola and learning how to play it! In the near future, I also hope to learn how to play both the cello and the piano.

In my free time, I also enjoy hiking with my family, zoomin' on roller coasters (I love the crazy twisty kinds!), taking photographs of nature, enhancing my civic leadership skills through the San Jose Youth Advisory Council, learning, practicing, and spreading awareness of parliamentary procedure, studying psychology, reading Archie Comics, and listening to classical music!

Here are some of my "favorites":

Favorite types of music & artists: Adele, Gregory Alan Isakov, Yiruma, Yo-Yo Ma, Andrew Belle, Susie Suh - weird and random, I know!

Favorite movies: Matilda, Home Alone, The Santa Clause, The Parent Trap - all children's movies. I guess I'm still a kid at heart!

Favorite TV shows: I watch way too much TV for my own good, and I don't think I'm up for listing every single one of the TV shows I love. However, here are some of my absolute favorites: Gilmore Girls, The OC, Grey's Anatomy, Vampire Diaries, One Tree Hill, and 90210.

Favorite books: The Devil in the White City, anything by Mitch Albom, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and The Catcher in the Rye.

After high school, I don't exactly know what I want to be doing. But I know some of my interest areas, and I hope to be doing something that incorporates all of them! My interest areas include: writing, psychology, business, education, leadership development, and print media.

People have told me that I am weird, quirky, loud, and obnoxious, but I say: "Embrace who you are!" I urge people to retain their personalities and quirks in the face of opposition, questioning, and different and sometimes even adverse scenarios. Someone once told me, "Be who you are - it's what you do best," and I can't think of a better quote that highlights the power of each and every individual's positive attributes and unique characteristics in shaping and defining our world.

I can't wait to continue living, learning, searching, pursuing, laughing, and smiling. Each day, I am thankful for my parents, my friends, and my peers, and I hope that someday I can inspire my peers like they have inspired me.


Two of my poems are in the current issue, Endless Roads and Butterfly Boy. I hope you enjoy them. :)

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