I choose the things I put on my shield because these things are what represent me at this time. I’ll start off with the back round. The silver represents peace and sincerity. The blue represents truth and loyalty. I selected both of these colors because I try to tell the truth and stay loyal to the things I believe in. I also wish that there could be peace everywhere and I try to keep the peace between everyone I know. All the symbols mean different things. The white rose is faith and love, the red rose is grace and beauty, the heart is also peace, the rainbow is strong, long-lasting friendship and good times after bad, and the tree is continuous growth and courage. The red rose represents me because I am a dancer and I believe that everyone has grace and beauty inside; and they express it in different ways. The white rose because I try to always have faith and to love everyone for who they are. The rainbow because I stay with my friends and I’ll always be there for them. The rainbow matches this because it is always there after rain and friends are always there after bad times. And last but not least is the tree. A tree is always growing and so am I inside and out. I am always going to keep growing. It also represents courage and I feel I have courage for doing so many things and still living everyday of my life with diabetes. That’s my shield as of right now. It could change tomorrow or in a few years, but that’s how I am right now.