Introduction to Salem Fleming

It's definitely my favorite kind of weather. I like how mysterious and soft it makes the world look.

  One of my cats whom I have a love hate relationship with. She is cute though.

      I have been going to the same Lutheran church every Sunday since I was born. I know everyone in the congregation quite well and grew up with the kids there. I served as acolyte, who lights the candles at the alter, for a long time. I also helped run the audio systems which records each service and manages which mic is on at any given time. I occasionally join the choir singing hymns, but I don't enjoy that as much and prefer to sing in the crowd. My church has felt like my second family who I can get advice from and count on to support me both emotionally and financially. It's such a loving environment that I have missed being involved in since Covid-19 started and summer and college and all the other obligations I have.       I enjoy Chapel Scholars and I'm very glad I joined and am a part of ministry on campus.  I feel like college is the perfect place to explore my spirituality and learn about other religions and beliefs.

      I've never been a big fan of shopping or name brand clothes. I was more interested in playing in the woods, so as long as I could climb trees I didn't care. My mom bought my clothes and picked out my outfits for a long time. She has good fashion sense and I don't put much thought into what I wear most of the time anyway. As long as I'm comfortable it doesn't affect me dramatically, but I'm realizing I also need to feel confident with my personal style and put effort into how I appear to others.  I want to change my style up, but I have so many clothes that don't fit the aesthetic I'm going for so I would need to buy a whole new wardrobe. I like earth-tones and modest clothing that is artistic and interesting. I don't know where to shop for an outfit that looks handmade without making it myself. I'll just have to learn to sew.

      This is a sport I was exposed to when I was quite young. My mom started skiing when she was a teenager and introduced my dad to it after they started dating. They both really enjoyed taking a trip in the winter months to ski and eventually my sister and I were old enough to try it out. At first it wasn't fun at all because we kept falling over and we got cold and frustrated. The next couple times we actually started to get the hang of it and had fun.      We don't get to ski every year because it can get expensive to rent the gear and buy a lift ticket for the slope.  Every time we do go I end up spending the entire day skiing and only stop to refuel with food and water. I would like to say I've gotten pretty good at skiing. I even taught my younger cousin how to ski when he went with us one time. My favorite part is being at the top of the mountain and getting to look out over the snowy landscape. It's very peaceful. I never want to leave.

      I first became interested in the sport when my friends started watching an anime about playing volleyball. Of course I was curious and when I watched it I fell in love with the characters and their story. Wanting to play volleyball was a side effect. I started off at the YMCA and joined other private teams and went to camps. My friends were also interested in playing and we tried out for the school team in 8th grade. I had so much fun and started practicing all the time. I carried my ball around with me and asked anyone I came across if they would toss for me.      I usually played back row because I was good at receiving the ball. This position is usually called the libero or middle back. I enjoyed being able to see the whole court and diving to get the balls when they were served. I wasn't very tall in comparison to most of the other players who were close to 6 foot. I'm only around 5'6 and I haven't grown much since then. I would switch out with th...

           My family has always eaten a lot of fresh vegetables because my grandmother has a bountiful garden which she maintains and cans the produce from. My mom likes to cook a lot of different delicacies and tries new recipes from a multitude of cultures. One night we might be having tilapia filets and the next were having lentil soup and sweet potatoes.           Because of this I also like to try lots of new food and be creative when I cook as well. I have the luxury of eating home grown food prepared by my grandmother and unique blends of culture that my mom prepares. I wouldn't say I have a favorite meal, but I have found out you can't really go wrong with soup. I have eaten more kinds of soup than I can name. 

           I was read to every night when I was growing up and always had a bookshelf that was bursting at the seams. A large portion of the gifts I have been given over my life are books and I start reading them almost immediately. Of course I started out with children's books and then graduated to chapter books which I would follow along as my mom read or I would do it myself.       When I began to read on my own I found that I enjoyed fantasy and thriller novels with complex characters and stories. Some of my favorites so far are Velocity by Dean Koontz, Clay by David Almond, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, and 1984 by George Orwell. I enjoy reading for fun, but I also enjoy readings assigned in school and sometimes find my new favorites.

           I wasn't that interested in playing an instrument when I was younger, but my mom insisted that I take piano lessons. She played piano from elementary school up until he graduated and also played flute in the school band. My dad played the trumpet in band as well and they both wanted me to learn at least one instrument. I did enjoy playing the piano, but I often struggled to practice and would procrastinate.            I want to explore more instruments and see which ones I actually like to practice and play. I am interested in small percussion like the kalimba and steel tongue drums which create soft almost magical sounds. My sister also got a ukulele for Christmas one year and has never played it so I might try to pick it up. I like the idea of carrying around your instrument which is hard to do with a piano.          I am glad that I learned to read sheet music while I was taking piano...

         I enjoy listening to music even more than making music. I grew up listening to alternative music played by my dad and Christian music that my mom enjoyed, both contemporary and hymns. In middle school most of my friends were into pop or rock. I've been exposed to so many different genres that it's impossible to pick my favorite. I listen to classical, country, alternative, rock, and pop from all different time periods.  My mom says I like "easy listening" music, but I would say I gravitate more towards indie or alternative.

      This movie had become a sort of classic within my family which we are required to watch every so often as a group. All of us reference and quote scenes regularly. Out of nowhere my dad will yell "WUV, TWU WUV" in the voice of the priest or my mom will say "Inconceivable!" in the voice of Vizzini. I love the characters and the actors so much. The storyline and the comedy is what makes the movie timeless. Most movies I've seen I am content watching one time and never seeing them again, but The Princess Bride seems to get better every time I watch it. It's one of those movies that shaped my childhood.

One of my favorite quotes which I have had saved as the wallpaper on my phone for years.  "Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always." - Anonymous It doesn't have a definite author, but I love these words so much because it is a constant reminder to love people and give them the benefit of the doubt. It says always, not occasionally, not when you feel good, not when you like the person, but to be kind every second of every day. I really like the message of this quote which is why I reference it often. 

      My mom told me that our house was always filled with music when I was young because my sister and I loved to sing and would burst into song at every chance we got. She encouraged us to be ourselves and have fun, and didn't complain much about the constant racket.      Both my mom and my grandmother are good singers so I had a lot of influence from them.  I remember my grandmother singing us lullabies as small children and sitting under the pews of the choir in church listening to her sing hymns.      I never considered myself a very good singer, but I liked to learn lyrics and make different sounds. I was in a chorus class for one year in middle school and even got to sing a duet on stage at the final concert. I didn't really continue with chorus because I didn't think I was good enough. Even though some people told me I sang well I wouldn't believe them because I lacked confidence in myself.      My sister is a lot ...

       I was first introduced to anime in elementary school when my dad would watch it on TV or play videogames. He enjoyed both older shows like Gurren Lagann and newer ones like Sword Art Online. I loved to sit on the couch with him and get pulled into the story. I began to find certain genres that interested me and shows that I also became a fan of.      When I got to middle school I found that lots of people watched a lot of the same shows I did and even introduced me to my new favorites. We had something in common that we could talk about for hours and re-watch together many times. To this day we still talk about anime we watched 5 years ago and gush over the characters or how amazing the storyline is.        The amount of diversity within the anime realm means there really is a show for everyone. From sports anime like Haikyuu to dystopian fantasy society within Tokyo Ghoul, they all intrigued me. The amount of passion an...

      I have been creating art since I could hold a pencil. I come from an artistic family with both my grandmother and mom being great artists. My grandmother sews, paints, decorates, designs and builds things. My mom was a wedding photographer, a jeweler, and currently entertains many art mediums such as chalk pastels and oil paint. I feel I get a lot of my creativity and adventurous spirit from them.     I have taken art classes since elementary school and been entered into many art galleries and shows. I took AP art in high school and have had some amazing art teachers. I prefer to draw or paint in a more realistic style and usually portray animals or interesting objects. I like to try different mediums and have fun with my art. I have recently started experimenting with digital art.      I feel like I'm still trying to develop my style and figure out what I like to draw. I struggle with a lack of motivation most of the time, so its hard to ev...

      My grandmother decided to get baby chicks when I started middle school and I was able to help raise them. I even took them to the county fair and they won blue ribbons! She got 4 girls so once they were old enough they began to lay eggs. I loved gathering the eggs and feeding the chickens fresh greens. Some would let me pick them up with no problem, but others were very skittish.       I now have 9 chickens of my own. I think most of them are girls, but some I'm still unsure of. I have 4 that are Bantams which means they are about half the size of a regular chicken and lay tiny eggs. There are so many that I have to get rid of some of them. Maybe I can start selling them if people want fresh eggs. I enjoy having chickens and not needing to buy eggs from the store. They're so cute!

      I fell in love with nature when I was very little. In fact my first word was "Rose", which was the name of my aunt's horse. Plants and animals have always fascinated me. I could often be found exploring the woods around my house with my younger sister and cousin. We would make up stories and games and have forts inside a grove of trees. Those are still some of my fondest childhood memories.       I live in the middle of the woods, in a sense. My house is built on top of a hill, surrounded by trees, along a small river we like to call "the creek". I can walk to my aunt's house and my grandmother's house without leaving our property and still be mostly covered by trees. I feel very blessed to have grown up in such a green environment.      I think it explains why I plan to be an Environmental Science major and why I'm going to a college so close to home. I hope to protect and enjoy the beautiful landscape my whole life. 

      When I first began my scouting journey I only went to Girl Scout camps, which was usually an air conditioned cabin with bunk beds and electricity. These trips were rare since we mostly stayed at the scout hut and read scout books or made friendship bracelets. It wasn't a bad thing to do it just wasn't all I wanted from scouts. I eventually left Girl Scouts.       One day my mom asked if I wanted to spend a week at Camp Barnhardt and of course I said yes. After I found out about programs within Boy Scouts I could join I began going to Camp Barnhardt more often.   It has since become my home away from home.       I started out going to summer camp, then winter camp, then weekend events, and eventually was on staff for 2 years. I had so much fun and got to know everyone there quite well. I often drive up to help with various events and see my scout friends.

      I started my journey when I joined a Girl Scout troop when I was in elementary school, but as girls started getting busy with sports and leaders started leaving, it eventually disbanded. I didn't really want to join another troop so I wasn't in scouting for a couple years.       When I turned 14 I found out about Venturing, a co-ed program within Boy Scouts for anyone ages 14 to 21. I immediately started looking for a crew and once I found one I really enjoyed being a part of it. I loved hanging out with people that also liked the outdoors and getting to go on amazing adventures with them.      I n 2019 girls were officially allowed to join Boy Scouts and form their own troops. This meant girls were able to earn merit badges, have ranks, and become Eagle Scouts. I was ecstatic to be part of a troop. I learned about many different jobs, how to shoot a gun, survival skills, and how to be a positive member of society.  ...