They are my strongest traits, those closest to me understand how truly powerful they make me.

Striving for better engagement has led me to develop applications, learn interaction design and practice my charisma. Striving for actions has led me into some great projects, including a trip to Iceland and a hackathon for high school students. Striving for altruism and empathy has led me to become a better leader — one that cares about the people I lead and the people I try to benefit. Striving for growth means meticulously analyzing how I can be better, a trait that fuels the other three.

Trees are great, they grow bigger, they engage with the elements, they act on the challenges they face — growing regardless of what’s in their way, and they show so much compassion for the living things around them.

These are the things I strive for, the values I make every decision with. But I’m no tree, I’m still starting. So imma leaf.

The new icon. Made entirely by me.

To me, the leaf represents the four aforementioned traits, while also referring to the fact that there’s a long way to go.