My family was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. I always heard stories of how hard it was for them growing up, because they were colored people in a predominately white state. I was born and raised in Washington, but I know that my family misses their home, even if it was hard for them. They would tell stories about their high schools, about all their family that lived on the same street, how the hey would have adventures with their neighbors, and how everything seemed so much simpler to them because they were seeing the world through the eyes of their younger selves. They came to Washington to have a better life. Only one woman in my closet family circle has graduated college. My Aunt. She graduated college at 53. My mom went to college, but she had to stop because she was pregnant with my eldest brother. My other aunts did not go to college at all, and neither did their mom. The women in my family had to face hardships and adversity, and even without a college background, they managed to become successful. They tried their hardest to preach and advocate to myself, my siblings, and my cousins, about how important it is to get a college education now, and how privileged we are to be able to get the opportunity to go to college in the first place. They are my biggest reason why I haven’t given up in my education. Higher education has always been hard to achieve for women of color historically because of their skin color, the stigmatism that they are dumb, that they have a lot of kids, and that they cannot accomplish the same things as a white woman. Now, college is a lot more accessible and favorable to people of color, and there are so many organizations and groups who advocate for the importance of education in people of color. I am grateful that I was born and raised in a generation that advocates and fights for our rights. I’m glad I was born into a family who only wants what’s best, who try their hardest to get us to achieve our goals even if it is expensive, and who has a village to back them up. Without my family, I would not be the person I am today, and I am forever grateful for them. Since I grew up in a family to very heavily advocates for higher education, I do the same. With all the new people I meet, the friends I make, and even my younger family members who do not care about school at all, I try my best to preach to them. Education shouldn’t be taken lightly. It is great that these current generations, and even my generation (Gen Z) have the ability to get money to go to school like scholarships, grants and loans. These resources make higher education so much possible, and I am grateful for those who taught me that. They have help me never give up even when I really wanted to, and I can now help others at my college as well.

Someone once told me that life will never always go my way, but I can pave my way through the critics and the ones who are pitted against me, to create my own road that will help me in the future. I did not understand what the meant until I got to college. In elementary school, I was honestly not that smart. I was not one of the kids in the advanced classes, and it seemed like I took longer than my other peers to finish any type of assignment or quiz. This discouraged me, but I did not give up. In middle school, I was a bit better. I excelled in most of my classes, but I was still behind in the eyes of my peers, and the education system. In my first year of high school, I got a 4.0 GPA. I was ecstatic. This is what I wanted my whole life, and I finally achieved it, that should be enough right? Reality check: it wasn’t. I just kept getting reminded by my family to keep doing better, keep getting all A’s, become unstoppable so you can get into a good college and land a good job. My term GPA kept going down after that year. I was burnt out, discouraged, and I felt like a disappointment to everyone who expected nothing but greatness from me. I was suffocating, I was drowning under the weight of eyes who expected me to never fail ever again, and the more I did, the heavier they got. I graduated high school with a 3.6 GPA. Even though this was high, I still felt like a failure. When I got into college, I was happy but I was also discouraged. Would college mean more people for me to disappoint? More classes for me to do bad in, and ruin my chances of getting a good career? All these thoughts were going through my head, even when I finished my first ever semester of University. I started off as a zoology/pre-vet major, but I quickly decided this was not for me. I switched to marketing, and I could not be any happier. Even though I have had to retake two math classes, and two other courses, I am still happy. I am going in to a field where I can be happy with myself, and where even if I do not impress others up to their standards, my standards will be met. My current GPA is definitely not as high as I would like, but I enjoy seeing it slowly going up because it is a reminder of how far I have come, and how much farther I will go. Education taught me that not everything has to be settled by numbers. You do not have to be put in a box to be able to achieve greatness, and it’s okay if you are not going the same pace as everyone else. I learned to fall in love with my education, to go down the path that I want, and not the path I think I should go down to make others happy. I learned to appreciate my education, and I try my best to advocate that to my younger family members and friends as well, so they do not feel pressured to go into a field or degree that they do not enjoy. Education should be something to look forward to, it shouldn’t feel like a chore, and it should only make you more excited to see how it will make you grow into the person you will become.

Librarians have always been people I have looked up to. When I was little, I didnt just see them as people working in a library, I saw them as magicians. Magicians who can recommend you books that take you into other worlds, and magicians that seem to have all possible knowledge. They were the ones I looked up to because I thought if I could become a librarian, would I be able to have these magical powers too? This was the start of my book obsession. My aunt would take my cousins and I to our local library at least once a week, and I would check out a stack of books. All these books were recommendations from the magicians who knew what type of word I wanted to venture in to, and which ones I would enjoy. I went on adventures with the Box Car Children, the Doll House People, and even the orphans in A Series Of Unfortunate Events. These books expanded my horizons, and let me experience things in my minds, that I couldn’t have thought possible in the real world. I soaked up the stories and adventures from these books like a newly opened sponge soaks up water. I held them in my mind, and when they dripped or got squeezed out, I would soak them right back up but with new additions as well. My mind was and still is a never ending sponge that soaks up stories, adventures, and knowledge, and I would not ask for anything else. The main thing I got out of books when I was a child, was how to go on adventures; how to use your imagination, your resources, and how to develop friendships with people and animals. I guess they helped me want to become a kinder person when I was little. To try new things in school, to join clubs, and to make new friends. Now that I am older, books have helped me do the same things, but in a more intense setting. Books have taught me not to give up even when it seems like my world is ending, how to create lasting relationships after all the ones so far have not worked out, and how to keep reaching for your goals even if they seem like a galaxy away. Even though the characters in my book stop aging at some point when their book or series end, I felt like they grew up along side me. They helped me grow into the person I am today, and they were they with me during my hardest times when barely anyone else was. I got to escape into their worlds, and even when they were having hardships on their own, we got to learn and get through them together. To me, books are my hero, but I always give credit to the magical librarians that started me out. Even though I did not grow up to be a librarian, I did grow up to work in a library. I am currently in my third year of college, and I have been working on the campus library for about almost two semesters already. With this job, I have learned how to appreciate books even more than I did when I was a child, and how to recommend books to others as well. Even though I do not have all the magic that librarians do, I still get to spread my knowledge, and give patrons a chance to experience books through my mind with my own recommendations; I think that is its own special power in itself.

Minecraft doesn’t just offer limitless possibilities, it offers a way to connect, or even reconnect with people. I have about more than 3000 hours on Minecraft. Most of my time on Minecraft has been spent making memories with friends or my cousins. If you were to ask me what my favorite game of all time is, I would reply with Minecraft. My favorite aspect of this game is multiplayer. This is because without people to play with, I would honestly find the game boring. While Minecraft can be played as a solo game, it is much more fun with others. Be it if we are just starting the game and killing each other just for kicks, if we are in the mines for hours trying to find diamonds, or if we go 5-10’s of thousands of blocks just to find the most perfect place to start our base. Minecraft not only evokes creativity, but it sparks passion and joy, and creates lasting memories and relationships with those you wat to be close with. My earliest memory of Minecraft is playing the Xbox edition. My cousins and I did not have online multiplayer yet, so we would play split screen. I remember us playing the tutorial world, building very terrible pirate ships, and even discovering secretes in the tutorial worlds and having our minds be absolutely blown. My cousins and I would always play these two specific tutorial worlds. One of them had the giant castle, and the other one had this really nice pre built like neighborhood village with the houses connected to each other. Even after all these years, we still have those worlds saved, and sometimes we will go on them for a few days just to remake memories. My most recent memory of Minecraft that has become one of my favorites was from two summers ago. I have a group of about 10 online friends, and we started playing Java edition together. We spent hundreds of hours over the summer on this word. Even when we would run out of Ram on the server, we would pay money to transfer it to a bigger server host just so we can keep it alive. Even when we were all from different time zones, we would all stay up for hours building, exploring, or even just painting in Minecraft and having the most random and deep conversations. I think this is my most favorite memory that will forever be stored in my brain chemistry just because of how fun everyone was having. We tried recreating it again this most recent summer, but everyone got really busy. This really pains me because since we were all so busy, we grew apart a little bit. We still talk from time to time and try to play games with one another, and some don’t even talk to us anymore. I guess this specific memory resonates with me so deeply because it takes me back to when we weren’t worrying about school, work, money, or any of the problems going on in the world because we had our own little world. We would get on, get in a call together, go on random adventures, and even plan surprise birthday parties with decorations and presents and everything. To me, Minecraft isn’t just a game. It’s a portal that transports you to a realm of happiness, a game that strengthens connections, creates lasting memories, and leaves you with so much happiness, and even melancholic sorrow when you have to leave it all behind. Its okay to be sad, because you still carry the memories.

We all know and love #BookTok. From Jaw-dropping spicy books, to soft fluffy books, and then to insane and intricate fantasy worlds, we get a large variety of books to choose from. Like many others, I enjoy reading jaw dropping spicy books to stimulate certain emotions, but I also love to dabble in fantasy books where I can escape. #BookTok has introduced many fine men and women characters, many of them who everyone loves and wants to be real. From Aaron and Juliette, to Cardan and Jude, or even to Rhysand and Feyre. These characters have all their readers in a chock hold, and that’s definitely a thing book readers love. Even though I immensely adore these series, I like to focus on the less popular books, but ones that are still trending. My most recent obsession from #BookTok is the Poppy war Trilogy. This Trilogy barely has any romance in it, but the story and the world building and the rise and fall of characters gives as much stimulation and mind boggling scenarios as much as the most popular books, maybe even more. R. F Kuang did the impossible, and got me into this series with no romance, so many new definitions and names to learn, and a whole entirely different setting than I am used to. She gives us war, friendship, complicated relationships, fury, hatred, and love all in the same pages, smooshed together from cover to back. These three bundles of books are honestly the most captivating, mind blowing, and anxiety inducing books I have ever read, and I enjoy that immensely. The main character Rin, is a hard working, goal orientated gal (at least until things get bad). We get to follow her journey, see her experience new things, meet new friends and foes, and fight multiple wars with trying to keep her insanity intact to not burn the whole entire world down. We learn along with her, how to suppress urges, how to manipulate them and utilize them when the time comes, and when to pick and choose your battles. We grow along with her and everyone else. As much as I would love to go on and on about this trilogy, we have more books to talk about, and oh will they be worth your while. We have the Shatter me series, the Folk of the Air series, the ACOTAR series, the Haunting Adeline Series, and the Crescent City series. All of these series are already on my shelf, and boy oh boy do I love them immensely. Finding #BookTok has been a blessing and a curse; from my mental health, to my bank account, but I am definitely enjoying this (Maybe not so much my wallet though…). Besides book series, we have standalone books as well. The Seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo, The Night Circus, The Song of Achilles, Archer’s Voice, A Thousand Boy Kisses, and even throwing some horror in here: The Silent Patient. I have noticed that #BookTok mainly gives spicy recommendations, fantasy, or even dark romance. But we can all agree that enemies to lovers is the best trope out there, and you can fight me on that, but you will lose. #BookTok is probably the best gem for readers, and eve bikers who want to do their research to find themselves a #BookTok girly, or guy, whichever they prefer. Even though #BookTok gets into a lot of disagreements, they also agree on things more often than not. It’s a blessing and a curse, but it’s our blessing and curse, and we wouldn’t want to have it any other way.

“Get an office job, and just be content” is what my family would always tell me. “Art doesn’t pay the bills, you wont get anywhere in life with that”. :”Science is too hard, you wont be able to make it out alive in that field”. These sentences stick in my head, even now that I am sitting at my school job, applying to scholarships to help fund the rest of my college education. I attended college to get away from these sentences, and prove that I am more than measly words. Growing up, everyone tells you to stay away from drugs, from bad people, to stay in school and get a Highschool degree so you can get a nice office job for the rest of your life. What they never tell you though, is how hard it is growing up with a family that does not support your career or education decisions, and who try to get you to change your mind every chance they get. Both of my parents went to college, but they never graduated. They only went for a year or less, and then decided no more. Besides my parents, most of my family members never even went to college. Even now, my brother and I are the only ones who decided to take a leap of faith and just do it. I always knew that I wanted to go to college. Even though I was put against it by my family, the cost, and just the fear of not having anyone to be able to help me through the process of applying to schools, or even figuring out what I want to pursue made me hesitate more and more everyday. I was terrified, because how do I accomplish a goal I have in my mind, when I don’t have anyone, not even myself to help me through it? My main goal in life right now, is to get through college and finish with my bachelors, and then get into a field that helps promote and market sustainable resources and practices to save our planet. I am majoring in marketing, but I do also have a lot of background knowledge in sciences and the planet. I do not want a traditional office job, and I want to be able to travel to different countries to be able to spread awareness in person and online. Getting through college has been incredibly hard. I am in my third year right now, and I still cannot believe I made it this far. Without the emotional and financial support of my family, I had to rely on finding my own resources. I found friends and colleagues, as well as campus programs like TRIO, the library, and tutoring services to help make my journey a whole lot easier. I learned that you do not have to deal with everything alone, and there are always resources available to help and support you, even if you are afraid to take that first leap and talk to them first. My classes and peers helped me understand that there is more to life than a traditional office job. More to life than unsupportive family members, and a world that seems to want to stab you in the back every chance it gets. Even though my family did not support me, I want to believe they are warming up to the idea little by little the further I get into my education and career. I am glad there’s people and resources like scholarships and organizations that can help others like me and be the support they need.

Growing up, I was usually sad because I did not get to spend a lot of time with my mother. I lived with my mom and my two siblings, and the oldest was about to leave the house, leaving my mom with my sister and I. My mom worked a lot growing up, so ever since I could remember I had to go to my aunts house every single day with my siblings and cousins. I was always confused because I wanted to stay at home with my mom, but we would always have to wake up early to drive to my aunts house. Because of this, I resented my mom a lot growing up. It felt like she was abandoning me, and didn't want to spend anytime with me. I did not realize this was not the case until around Highschool. When I started getting more busy myself, I finally realized how tired my mom was. Even though all throughout elementary and most of middle school she couldn’t spend every day with me, she still made it to all my graduations, my track meets, and my violin concerts. I realized that even though she wasn’t there for me all the time, she was still there for me for the most important moments of my life. Looking back at spending all the time at my aunts house, I realized my mom had a village backing her up and giving her support. I take these memories of my mom, and the understanding of what she had to do as a single parent, and I use them to get through my college education; because if my mommy can hold the world on her shoulders, I can get through school to be able to support her too when she finally needs it.

I have been inspired by many different companies that are trying to better the world. The top company I am always following along with is "The Ocean Cleanup". They are targeting the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and are trying to reduce it by 90% hopefully by 2040. This has encouraged me to find ways to reduce my plastic consumption and to help others find ways to reduce it as well. Currently, I am only doing small things, but I believe if everyone starts somewhere, it will matter in the end because it will be a big collective process. Some examples of ways I am trying to reduce my plastic and waste consumption: I am using reusable bags for every store I go to, and if I do acquire plastic bags, I reuse those as well so I make sure I am not constantly throwing them away. I rarely use single-use bottles or containers, and if I do, I try to find the best way to recycle them, or I find a way to reuse them. In the future, I want to be able to invest in growing my own foods, making my own compost, and being an advocator for healthier living styles, and healthier consumption ways. I want to be able to help people figure out where they can start. Most people don't start because they think "Oh, I am just one person, me doing something is not going to change anything". The point is, if we all work collectively as a large group, we can make a difference. Change happens in numbers. Change happens when people get together to target the roots of the problem and try to find a solution. I am currently studying International Business, and I want to use that to be able to not only advocate in the United States but in other countries as well. I want to use my degree to be able to research other countries in a timely and informative manner, how efficient or not efficient they are in recycling and having healthy waste management, and how to find ways to improve it. This will be an incredibly long journey and a hard journey at that, but I am confident in my abilities, and I will network to find people with power who are also willing to support the better of waste in our world and reduce the pollution us humans cause on a daily basis.

One technology that always sticks out to me is the technology created by "The Ocean Clean Up". They have taken things into their own hands, and they are trying to get rid of trash in the ocean. They are the largest organization targeting the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and it is inspiring. Humans create so much waste daily and it all ends up in the ocean one way or another. not only is it ugly to look at, but it is harming the natural ecosystem of the ocean and other bodies of water. It is destroying the homes of all of the marine life and is creating more pollution for us as well. This project and company are so important to me because it is inspiring. It is heartwarming to know that people care about our oceans, and they are trying to target the problem at the source, and the roots. Not only does it encourage me to advocate for managing our waste and how we get rid of it, but also try to find ways I can reduce the waste in my daily life. How their technology works, it picks up plastic pieces that range from incredibly small, to very large pieces. This is important because it can get even the little niddy griddy pieces that are hard to get otherwise, making the cleanup more efficient. Their technology is also ever-growing, and it is expandable. They use the current of the Garbage Patch, and their own predictions to be able to be more efficient and target the hotspots of the patch, which I think is amazing. This project is expected to clear 90% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch by 2040, and it is amazing. That is just in 17 years, significantly less time than it's been taking us as a community worldwide to deal with the pollution we are causing. This project is so incredibly important. People see it as just picking up garbage, but I see it as life-saving. They are protecting our world from further harm, as well as removing the harm that we accumulated over hundreds of years. As said earlier, this has inspired me to do better. To advocate for others to do better, to make the world a less polluted and a more clean place. People always say "But me doing something isn't going to help". What matters is large numbers of people.

I have not always been in tune with my mental health, and I am sure others can agree with this as well. When we grow up, we are either put in families who support and care about mental health, or in families that do not believe in it. I had the short end of the stick: Getting put in a family that not only disregarded mental health but was also emotionally unavailable. Fun, right? All everyone wishes for is to have a happy, healthy, and supportive family. When you have children, you are supposed to love them unconditionally no matter what, but why is this sometimes always never the case? There are a lot of families out there who discriminate against their children. Against their children's beliefs, sexuality, gender, mental health, education, career choices, etc. Why have children if you are just going to disapprove of every single thing they do? Children deserve to be loved. Teens deserve to be loved. Young adults deserve to be loved. Everyone deserves to be loved. If this is the case, why do we treat mental health like the plague? Why do we treat it as something that needs to be ignored, something that needs to be disregarded, something we should just push into a box in the back of our minds and never speak of again? Why does society push these unreasonable and inhumane ideals down our throats? Why can't we just let people live? Let them love, let them enjoy, and let them exist without the fear of being treated differently. I remember playing a card game with my friends. It was a game designed to get to know one another better on a deeper level. A level deeper than the surface. Out of all the questions asked, one question always stuck out to me. "What is your earliest recollection of being happy?". My friends had an easy time answering this. They remember things from their childhood, friends they used to hang out with, loveable memories from their families, or just these random moments of being a child when they first discovered happiness. I also remember my friends laughing at my answer. My answer was "2015 when I was playing Roblox with 2 of my best friends". Here everyone was, reminiscing from when they were 5 years old or younger, and my earliest happiest memory was when I was 12. Even though I had such a fun time making memories at 12 and lifelong friends, I always get sad when I cannot remember other parts of my childhood. This has affected my relationship with my family because I do not feel as close to them as my friends. My mental health struggles and journey have impacted my career aspirations. Ever since I was young, I have always wanted to work with animals. I went into college expecting to get a degree in Zoology and Pre-vet so I could go to med school to become an aquatic veterinarian. I ended up switching to International Business and Marketing because my mental health got so bad I could not keep up with the requirements of a STEM major anymore. When it got bad, not only did it affect my school work, but also my work life. I called out of work almost every shift, I would not get out of bed. I wouldn't even want to hang out with my roommate who lived in the same room as me. I felt lost, hopeless and like I failed. I had all these dreams and aspirations but they were swept down the drain in an instant. I feel like I gave up too easily. Took the easy way out and used my bad mental health as an excuse, but I know that was not the problem. It was something deeper. I had no motivation, no will to live, nothing. I was just an empty shell going through the motions, going day by day hoping that time went faster. Hoping that I would get out of the slump I was forever stuck in. I do not remember how I got out of it, but I did. I got out of it too late, and I failed almost all of my classes because I was so behind in assignments and lectures. When people think of mental health, all they think about is "How can this person be so lazy and stay inside all the time? It can't be that bad, right?" They have this set mentality that people with mental health troubles are faking it for attention, but we're not. We are honestly struggling so much. I struggle to get through the day, counting the time not even by minutes but by seconds because that's how slow it feels. It is not fun, but it does get better. I have to keep believing that it gets better so I can continue to be a better version of myself.

I have learned that single parents do not have it easy. I have also learned that some single parents just do the bare minimum for their children. I have thankfully not experienced the loss of a parent yet physically, but I have experienced the emotional connection loss of a parent. I barely have any memories with my mother who is a single parent, because my sister and I were always sent to my aunt's house to stay there every day until my mom got off of work. Most people can say that their mother is their biggest supporter, but I cannot say the same. Even though I love my mother deeply, she is not there emotionally toward me when I need her, and I have accepted that. It is hard for me to write this because I don't want it to seem like I am bashing on my mother. She has helped in many other ways, but I owe all the support to my best friend. My best friend has been my biggest supporter for almost 6 years now, ever since I met him. My mother taught me not to talk to people online, and I did it anyway. All of my online friends are my biggest supporters, they are my rock, my found family, and the ones who have my back when no one else will. Back to the friend in question, he has always been there for me. Not only emotionally, but also educationally. When I felt like giving up and dropping out of school, he was there to pull me out of my slump. He was there to talk me out of it, to talk me into finding s different path that I was more interested in, and to talk me into keeping on going. I guess in a way, I also helped him in his educational path. He is a few years older than me, and he dropped out of school a few years ago, but I convinced him to retry again just like he convinced me. We helped each other apply to colleges, helped with our essay questions, with research on what majors would suit us best, and helped each other stay on track. He graduated a year before me, but we are both keeping each other accountable. If it wasn't for him, I honestly do not think I would be on the path now. I wouldn't have known that pre-vet wasn't the right track for me and I did a hundred times better in international business. I wouldn't have had the courage to form new connections with people on my campus, and I wouldn't have been able to keep myself productive and manage my time well if it wasn't for him. He is my business partner, my best friend, my rock, my support, and my lifeline. He is more than just a "supporter" he is everything he needs to be and more. I am glad that I have him in my life, even if we have rocky patches. He pushed me out of my comfort zone and in turn I did the same for him. I like to think that I have done as much for him as he has done for me, and I wouldn't ask for anything more. Thank you best friend, for being there for me when no one else would.

Response in the form of poetry: "Hello? Can you hear me...? Hello? Helloooo? Its time to wake up, time to start a new day again, yet another" The voice in my head every time I wake up The voice in my head that never turns off That is constantly playing like an alarm clock that won't turn off The conversations with doctors who refuse to listen Who refuses to give help even though I'm begging The drowning feeling of being refused and ignored The stinging behind my eyes no longer returns because I can no longer shed tears I need help, I think something wrong Oh, I don't think anything is wrong you just need to get some more rest I can't sleep Oh, just take some melatonin you'll be fine Its affecting my school and work life Oh, try some chamomille tea I need help I really think something wrong Oh I don't think anything is wrong just stop overthinking My brain won't shut up it keeps getting louder Oh, just try listening to music to drown it out I can't breathe I feel like I'm drowning Oh, just take deep breaths and practice breathing exercises The drowning makes me panic The conversations branded into my mind like an unwanted burn from my family I think I need help You don't need help you're just overreacting I think I have depression You're too young to know what depression is I don't want to go to church I don't feel happy God will fix that in no time, you don't have a choice I feel like I can't breathe You're being dramatic go back to your room Why are you sleeping all the time? Stop being lazy Why is your room always so messy? Get up and clean it Why are you ignoring me?!? Learn to respect your elders The conversations with my online friends whom I found solace in I think I have depression I think I do too, do you want to talk about it? I don't know whats wrong everything feels fuzzy Take deep breathes and we can talk about it when you're ready I feel like I am constantly drowning I'll be there to save you so you don't go under The events I had to go through alone because my family wasn't emotionally there I had the worst breakup of my life I can't get over him Its been 3 years Am I broken? I was assaulted It keeps happening I cant stop it Its been 6 years. I cant eat I don't like my image anymore I do not deserve to be here I don't want to be here. The relief I found after 8 years when I went to the doctors again Hey I'm just hear for a checkup I see your mental health scores are a bit high do you want to talk about it? Yeah I just feel like I can't breathe I am not getting enough sleep I'm not happy anymore Oh, I'm so sorry that sounds awful It seems like you might have clinical depression What...? Oh, I said it sounds like you might have clinical depression Do you actually think something wrong? That I'm just not overreacting? Oh, of course, I don't think you're overreacting, I actually go through the same thing Would you like some advice? ....yes, please.... Mental illness is real. Being ignored is real. Bad doctors are real. Emotionally unavailable parents are real. Help is real. Medicine is real. Friends are real. Support is real. I am real and I deserve to be seen.

Response in the form of Poetry: Stand back so we can do our thing A message we wish to send to the Millenials and older, From yours truly, Gen Z. Stop telling us how to act How to behave Whether or not we need to shave Stop telling us to stand back Keep our mouths closed and look the other way, Keep control of your body so others don't turn away ashamed Stop telling us who to love Who to respect When and who we are needed to protect Stop telling us what we should do with our bodies We should be in control Not the ones who are ruining the economy Stop telling us to stay quiet and let the adults handle this If you were able to handle this we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place We may be polite but our words carry venom The venom of angry teenagers and adults who are tired of being treated like nothing The venom of mentally exhausted human beings who are tired of being punching bags Tired of being the ones having to fix the mess you created Tired of being the ones to get blamed for trying to fix a mess and getting the response: "It didn't need to be fixed in the first place" So we are taking a stand We are done sitting back and waiting for change to happen We will be the change And we will not apologize for trying to better the world for our future generations Our own blood couldn't even protect us from the dangers of the world So now it is our turn to stand up and protect the ones we love The ones we adopted and accepted The ones who became our found families when our blood wasn't enough They say that blood is thicker than water, but the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water in the womb We are told to stray away from strangers on the internet Keep our heads down and keep walking Connect with the real world and put down our phones The real world is burning The real world is the reason we are in this mess We are creating bonds Creating families on the internet Creating unbreakable bonds that are more fortified than the water of the womb We are speaking up Screaming out to the world To the internet To anyone who will listen We are using our resources Using what we have been giving Creating things we were never given And trying to make anew We are shouting to the rooftops Shouting out Screaming out Begging for our voices to be heard You see chaos We see beauty You see destruction We see innovations You see death and life, right and wrong We see two sides suffering from the mistakes of their governments You only see the negative The black and white The right or wrong We see the good and bad The colors that can be made The right and wrong but also the middle ground You see "lazy teens and young adults" sitting and wasting their lives away on the internet We see connections being formed Trade secrets and advice being handed out Worldwide news being shared Information being acquired New trends tricks and hacks are being found out on the daily We are connecting in our own way Connecting in ways we were not taught Connecting in ways that make us happy With the people who support and understand us You call us the lazy generation, yet the ones before us were the most lazy of them all You call us destructive but we are not the ones starting wars over stupid disputes that can be solved with communication You call ghetto and delinquents but we see mentally ill teens in need of help because we have been ignored for way too long You say we are coming up with new and dumb terms or labels We see that we are being more inclusive Being more open More positive More inviting We are a generation of lovers Fighters Survivors Screamers Winners We are a generation who seeks to change the world for the better Seek to give happiness to others that our own blood couldn't Seek to be the ears to listen when we have never been listened to Seek to be the path others can follow and be proud of We are Gen Z We will not back down and stay silent We may be polite but it is far from that Our words are filled with poison and dagger And we will not apologize Stand back so we can do our thing A message we wish to send to the Millenials and older, From yours truly, Gen Z.

I never really remembered anything from my childhood, but for some reason, this memory stuck with me. When I was little, about 9 or so, my sister and I went on a vacation to Disneyland with our Dad and his girlfriend and her family. We had such a fun time, and my sister and I wanted to go off and explore the park. We accidentally got separated from our family. My sister is only 15 months younger than me, and everyone mistakes us for twins. Even though we do not have such a big age difference, she was more scared and anxious than I was. My family always taught me that when we get lost, we should look around and try to find another family who has a small child so we know that we are safe. Even though I knew this was an option, I was also told not to trust strangers. While we were trying to find them, my sister got lost from me. Even though in the previous situation I wasn't anxious or worried, now I was. I am incredibly close to my sister, and when I lost her it was just a big hit to my heart and I started panicking. Panicking in this type of situation is normal because I was only 9 years old, and I just lost my baby sister. All that was running through my head was "Where did she go?" "When did she let go of my hand?". Questions were running through my mind while I was frantically searching for my sister. My vision was blurry with tears and I was scared. Even at a young age, I knew that panicking wasn't going to get me anywhere so I tried to calm down a retrace my steps. Now, retracing your steps as a 9-year-old is not as easy as it sounds. There were a bunch of blinding lights, sounds, and so many people around it was hard to focus. I decided to take the initiative and listen to my family's earlier advice of finding a big family and asking them to help me find my sister and/or my group. I found one despite being super nervous to talk to strangers, but they were happy to help me. I led the way to where I last saw my sister, and they walked around with me pointing out kids to see if I recognized any of them. We finally found my sister, and she was sitting at a bench crying in front of the Luigi leaning tower of tires or whatever the ride was called. I was so glad to find her and the family also helped us find our group again. My dad was so scared that we were gone I remember him also frantically searching for us, and the look of relief he got when he saw us was something I would never forget. A lesson I learned from this is that even if I am scared to do something completely new to me, or scared to take the initiative to talk to strangers even though it might not go in my favor, it is important to do what I can to be able to achieve a goal, which in this case was to find my sister and our family again. If I had not stepped up into that leadership role at such a young age, would I have been able to find my sister? Would we both be here today? I learned that leadership is important because if no one steps us, who would help in the first place?

Growing up, I lived with a big family who were emotionally unavailable. This made me grow up alone, alone with my trauma, alone with my problems, and with my thoughts. I ended up becoming depressed and suicidal thinking that I would end up dying at my own hands without a support system to back me up. I found a support system online. A group of friends I met over the internet saved my life, and I want to do the same. I decided that even if I do not know the person, or even if I dislike them, I would try my best to be a good person to them despite what my brain thinks. I want to help. I might not do big community actions like planting trees, volunteering at soup kitchens or advocating on social media, but I do small things to bring joy and happiness to people's lives. Some examples of me helping people in need are when I take the time to sit down and listen to people's stories when they seem like they're losing hope and want to give up. I've learned that a lot of people prefer to talk to others when they do not know them. It's a lot easier to talk to strangers without the anxiety of worrying that you're ruining your friendship with them. A lot of people open up easily when someone just offers to listen to them and take the time to be there. Being a strong believer that everyone deserves to be happy and loved, I take the time to listen when someone needs a shoulder to lean on. Over the past 7 years, I have talked to hundreds of people that I met in real life or over the internet and I have listened to so many different stories that I still remember. Sometimes listening helps, and sometimes you just cannot save everybody. I have lost a lot of people to suicide because they believed they did not deserve to live. I have listened to so many stories of bad childhoods, bad school experiences, or just wars with themselves that they could not win. Even though it is an extremely tough pill to swallow, not everyone is going to have an ending. I learned that even though I can make a big impact, it won't be enough to convince someone to stay and enjoy the rest of their life. Because of these experiences, I made it my mission to try and be there as much as I can. To try and help as much as I can, love as much as I can, and just listen as much as I can. The world is filled with too much pain already, and losing more precious souls is the last thing that we need. Since experiencing the loss of life, I learned that there is so much hatred in the world than there seems. So much discrimination and spitefulness. Not enough love even when we try our hardest to change that. Even though I do not have a big global impact, I like to believe that I changed a lot of people's lives of the ones I convinced to stay. And even for the ones I couldn't convince, I like to believe that I gave them happiness even though it was not enough. I take the time to repost stories on social media to spread awareness. Different groups of people are in need because the world refuses to change. I want to make an impact, even if it is just as small as reposting and listening to others.

Growing up, I did not have a good emotional support system. I had to deal with trauma and problems all by myself because neither my parents nor my other family members were emotionally available to help me through things I was struggling with. Because of this, I did not learn how to be emotionally available to others until about 6th grade when I found people who I cared about enough to be better for. One negative thing I would change about my environment, and others, would be breaking the stigma around mental health, and bettering the mental and emotional wellness support systems. Having good mental health is important. Having bad mental health but with a positive support system is equally as important. When people grow up with emotionally unavalible parents, or when we grow up in a society that invalidates and ignores others' struggles with mental health, it tears us down. The thing we can start with is targeting the root problem: The environment we are raised in. I did not realize that I had a bad environment growing up until people pointed out how good my family dynamic was. I was confused anytime someone brought that up because sure, we hung out all the time, we had family gatherings, and we lived close to each other, but I wasn't happy. My cousins were not happy, my siblings were not happy. The older generations of my family built this facade to the outside world and tried to get us to believe it as well. My family is full of hypocrites, emotionally unavailable people, and those who do not understand that they are harming us emotionally because they grew up in a society that deemed their ways of handling things acceptable. Finding outlets and support systems is super important, especially early on in life. If you grow up without that kind of thing in your life, you are either set up to have a destructive life, or you find ways to get through that and teach and guide others through it as well. I am proud of my generation (GenZ) because we are actively trying to destroy the incredibly stupid and destructive stigmas that old society has placed in this world, and we are trying to create a healthier and more inclusive world to live and be happy in. I want to be able to do that for my family and others as well Finding the courage to speak up is hard to find, but once you find people to back you up, it makes things a whole lot easier. I want to be able to tell my family things without the worry of them disregarding or invalidating my trauma and feelings. I want other children and people to be able to speak freely about their struggles as well. I think the best way to target this is to just keep on advocating for others, keep spreading awareness of the destruction that society is causing by not supporting different communities, and destroy the stigmas of things that are stupid to be scared of. We are human beings. We are going to be emotional, we are going to have problems, and we are going to want to fix things. We are not monsters just because we have problems different than other people. We deserve to be loved. I deserve to be loved. Everyone deserves to live in an accepting society no matter their identity or origin without the fear of speaking up and being themselves. We need to change. I am willing to change.

My family is black, but we were born and raised in America. We only celebrate White American traditions and holidays, and I feel robbed because I don't know how deep my origins go, and I do not have a unique culture that I can celebrate with my family. When studying history, we are taught only White American culture but we are never taught how many different cultures reside in the US, and how important it is that we see how every culture differs from one another. The only time we get shown other cultures in school is during culture assemblies, or when we are in a diverse friend group. Being well-versed and informative about other cultures is important to starting new relationships, and respecting other people in a deeper sense in our everyday lives. When I think about culture, I think of how different people celebrate things. How there are so many different holidays, traditions, foods and dances that are practiced all around the world. Culture does not just define a nation, it defines the individual. When we take the time to learn about other people's cultures; be it friends, family, or neighbors, our eyes are opened to how our culture is different from theirs, no matter how big or small. Personally, when I learned about other cultures for the first time, I felt dumb. I did not know that there were so many different traditions and holidays, and I was just used to all the mainstream ones that were seen in movies or the ones we took days off from school for. I felt uneducated, and slow because I was not taught that there were other cultures different from my own and that not everyone celebrated the same thing. This is what made me want to study abroad because I wanted to become more educated. When I came to college for the first time, I had a roommate from Hawaii and a white friend who would come over all the time and ask questions about her culture and life in Hawaii. As I watched their interactions, I noticed my roommate was relieved to know that people cared about her culture, and how her life differed from ours. She was excited to tell us about the dances, food and events they have over there, and how different it is from the other States in the US. She told us the sad and happy history, and how she wished fewer tourists would visit Hawaii because of all the damage they are causing to the environment, the housing market, and their overall quality of life. Before these experiences with my roommate and our friend, I never actively took the time to ask questions about someone's culture, but now I know to do that. Since the US is home to many different ethnicities and cultures, I believe that it is important for people who only know and who are only used to white American traditions to learn about other cultures, try new foods, learn about how cultural appropriation is harmful, and just overall be more informed and considerate to the other cultures that are living in the US. Global exploration brings the value of knowledge, respect, and crucial information to better the lives of everyone living in the US. The majority of the US culture is centered around white people, especially in politics and schools, and it is harmful to the lives of all the other races that live or try to come to the US because the US is not trying to change themselves to benefit other cultures other than their own.

I do not remember when it was, but at some point, I stopped remembering things about my childhood that I so clearly could picture in my head. I used to sit and daydream every day, thinking back and seeing my memories in my head from my past, and reliving those days like I was just there again. I do not remember anything from before 5th grade, not unless I look at a picture and the memories come flooding back. I look at these pictures, and I do not believe that this happy smiling ball of sunshine was me. I am far gone from that former self, and now I feel I am constantly trapped in a dark empty room, shrouded by a blanket of loneliness. I figured out a while ago that I have Aphantasia. It is a condition where I am not able to picture any images in my head, and the only thing I see is darkness when everyone else around me can see anything they want. My sister describes it as her watching a movie in her head, while I only see nothing. This adds to my never-ending plate of loneliness; when I try to go into my head for comfort, I am met with the reality that even in my head I am alone. I do not recall when it was that I was not able to see things in my head. Maybe it was when I stopped approaching people, when I stopped trying to make friends, or when I decided that crying or feeling any emotion is a waste of time, and I should just feel nothing at all. With this mindset stuck in my head, I have been hit with the reality that if I do not change this about myself, then I won't be able to be truly happy. I won't be able to enjoy my life to the fullest, and I won't be able to achieve my dreams when I am constantly becoming my own obstacle. My personal life, school life, and work life are becoming affected because I am not happy. I am not happy with myself or with my situation. I put on this mask to fool others, and even myself, so I can make everyone believe that I am okay; that I have everything under control, and that I am not in a constant state of hyper-awareness. I am spending all my energy fooling everyone in my life, including myself, when I could be spending this energy on bettering myself and making my life worth living. My dream since I was little was to always become a veterinarian or a marine biologist. Once I got to senior year I just said yolo and decided that I would try my best to become an aquatic veterinarian. I have two passions so why not intertwine them? When I finally got to college, I was so excited to start taking my science classes. I was always good at biology, but chemistry was always my weak link. Even with this in mind, I went in telling myself that I would do what it took to reach my goal, even if it meant getting a tutor and studying my butt off until I did the best I could. Spoiler alert: I changed my major because I gave up on my original dream, and chose something that I thought would fit my current mindset better. I gave up because I did not have the energy to keep up with classes or make myself have the motivation to keep my previous dream afloat. This same mindset I strengthened when I gave up on my aquatic veterinarian dream is the same mindset I have when it comes to meeting new people or getting faced with a difficult situation. I am incredibly unphased by everything now, and even when I am faced with a dangerous situation, physically, and or mentally, my mind shuts down and I drown out the negative emotions, and I just become nonchalant and indifferent about everything. I tell myself "Everyone will just leave like the ones in the past did; there's no need to waste your time and energy meeting new people when they will just disappoint you later on." "Even if you retake your science classes and try again, you will just have the constant mindset of failure that you won't be able to make it". "Even though you care so much about your current relationships, they are all ignoring you. They dont care about you as much as you care about them. You can just let them go and pretend that it doesn't hurt even though it will". All these messages are constantly replaying in my head. There is a loud voice in there constantly telling me that I am not good enough to be loved, to be a good student, to be worthy of following my dreams, all because I do not believe I deserve it. All these things and more, have negatively shaped my view of the world, and more importantly of myself. Even though I know that I am capable enough to do what I put my mind to, my mind is so shrouded in negativity that I will not let myself be happy, and I will not let myself feel emotions until the silence and darkness get too much that I crack, little by little until I am nothing but a million pieces of my broken and former self. The self that knows I can do more than I let myself believe, and the self that is screaming at me, begging me to pick up the pieces and slowly put myself back together again, even if it will take a lot of time and effort. Even as I am writing this essay, these words never leave me alone, and I am hoping that sometime soon I will be able to break free from my internal torment, and become the self that I deserve and need to be.

Aphantasia: a phenomenon in which people are unable to visualize imagery. ADHD: A chronic condition including attention difficulty, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. Anxiety: a feeling of fear, dread, and uneasiness. Depression: a common medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Google definitions, labels, and a tag above my head saying "Woo! You have mental issues, have fun getting through your life". Besides all of these difficulties, I still try to get through life and achieve my dreams, no matter how tough my brain is trying to make things for me. I do not remember if I have always been unable to visualize images, or if it was caused later in life by trauma. The one thing I do remember is the shock and feeling of dread when I found out that not being able to visually imagine things were not "normal". I went about asking people if they were able to imagine things, and they could. They could see them either very clearly like a memory playing like a movie, or feel and see themselves at a certain location like a beach. When I tell people that I cannot imagine things visually, they are shocked. they don't believe me or they call me weird because "everyone is supposed to imagine things". It was bad enough that not being able to visualize things made it hard for my studies and remember details of people, but when people treated me differently or said that knowing this information made them mad, especially the ones closest to me, it hurt. When I was young I dreamed of becoming so many different things. An artist, a veterinarian, a marine biologist, or an architect. When I got to my junior year of high school, I decided I wanted to become a veterinarian. I spent weeks researching colleges with good veterinarian programs, animal-related majors, and other majors in case I needed something else to fall back on if I changed my mind. I have always been in love with science and animals, but I realized it is not something that I want to spend my life doing. When I got to my second semester of college, I realized that I was not happy. I could not memorize anything in my biology or chemistry classes because I could not recall what they looked like in my head, my insomnia was making it hard to wake up for my early morning classes, and being away from my friends and family made me very lonely. Even though I was contemplating giving up on school, I decided to find something else that interested me. I have always wanted to travel abroad, mainly to Germany or New Zealand. I also wanted to learn German. When I looked into other majors once I figured out being a veterinarian wasn't for me, I found a major called international business. I looked at the requirements, and surprise surprise, it requires people to study abroad and take language classes. It took days of making a pros and cons list, and I found my new major. I am happier now, and even though I have struggled up until this point, I strive to do my best to see this through and figure out my plans for after graduation the closer I get to it. I hope that people who are facing their own physical or mental adversities can find a way to keep going even if they feel like giving up. There are always options, and we just have to choose which ones will make us happy.

This may sound dumb, but when I was in middle school, around 2015-2016, my sister and I would play Roblox all the time. We would play this one game called Roblox High School and we had a blast. There were these 10 statues in the middle of the woods in the game, and my sister had the idea to write a story about them. I am 15 months older than my sister, but we have always been close since we were little. She has always had more of an active imagination than I do, and it is probably because I have aphantasia, something that does not allow me to imagine or see things in my head. Every time I think of writing something, my sister comes to mind. She has been my biggest influence when it comes to getting the motivation to write anything. She is the reason why writing is important to me. Since I went away to college, my sister and I have not talked that much. We're not as close as we used to be, and that makes me a bit sad. People have told me that I am a good writer and that I should publish my work or keep writing more. I never had the motivation to write a lot or to pursue my bigger projects, but when I think back on how my sister would, and still does write as much as she could, even if its something small, it gives me more hope and drive to be able to write as much as she does. I honestly wish my sister would share what she writes because it is truly amazing. Her brain is constantly moving at a billion miles per hour, with so much creativity and imagination. Writing is important to me because it makes me feel a closer connection to my little sister, especially when we are far apart from each other. I am not as close to any of my other family members besides my sister, and two of our cousins, and being able to have this connection with her makes me feel better about everything. My sister is always getting in trouble for reading books during class and writing instead of doing her schoolwork, but I think that is hilarious. She is so smart and creative but she is getting in trouble for not doing things that do not interest her. She does not know what she wants to do in the future, but I hope she pursues writing and makes a career out of it. Our family is so hard on her because she prefers to read and write more than anything else, but I think that's what makes her so special. Writing not only helps me connect with my sister, but it helps me give her the courage and the support she needs to keep pushing for what she wants to do, and not what others want her to do. When I pick up a pen, or when I open up a word document, I am writing for my sister. Writing to give her the motivation and hope to continue writing, writing for her to read over my writing and help me with things I did wrong, and writing to have a stronger connection with her because I love her so much. I do not express my love to my sister as much as I should, and I honestly wish I am nicer to her at times. She is my biggest influence when it comes to writing and I hope one day she realizes how much I care.

Realistically speaking, universities and colleges are expensive. You go from having fun in high school with a set schedule to paying thousands of dollars to go to school again for another 4+ years. In-state tuition is expensive, but if you want to go out of state, you might have to take out some loans or apply for scholarships. It's good to start managing your finances starting in high school, especially if you have a part-time job. it will limit the number of loans you need to take out and limit the number of scholarships you might need to apply for. As someone who has needed many part-time jobs not just because of poor self budgeting, but because I grew up in a family who was always struggling with money, I wish I learned how to manage my money better when I was working multiple jobs. I started working when I was a sophomore in high school, and when I got to senior year I was working two jobs at the same time while trying to graduate. Since I grew up not getting things I asked for, even if it was a small item when I got a job I went on multiple spending sprees, buying things I have always wanted because it made me happy. Even though this was a poor decision on my part, it also opened my eyes to why my parents never just bought everything my siblings and I wanted. They were saving up money to be able to provide us with a roof over our heads and food to feed us. Managing finances starting during high school not only ensures that you will have better habits when you go off to start adulting on your own, but it will also ensure more money you will have. It will give you skills in saving money, and budgeting, and if you ever want a business career, it's good for finance and accounting. Once you learn to start saving money, you will start knowing the difference between an essential and a want. There is a big gap between the two, and that will help save money so you're not spending things on wants instead of needs. Making good financial choices will set you up for the long run. When we learn to budget wisely, we will know how to save up for things like future tuition, living accommodations, and a car if needed. Saving from a young age may also reduce the chance for people to get a part-time job while focusing on their studies. Getting higher education can be stressful, and having to get a job on top of that can heighten those stress levels. Honestly, I am still struggling with managing my finances. I am working a part-time job to help with necessities and tuition, but I am also still buying things I want for entertainment purposes and to keep me happy. Even though I am still going to a University in State, I am 5 hours away from my family, and my friends. This has put a bunch of stress on me because I am in an unfamiliar place and trying to keep up with all my assignments so I can make a future for myself. For this reason, I am buying things that bring me comfort, and remind me of those back home. I am slowly learning to make better financial choices, and I am also double majoring in International Business and Marketing, so it is helping me learn more about the basics of business, including finance. Everyone can learn to budget, and everyone should.

The World's population is increasing every day. There are constantly more farms, buildings, and roads that need to be built every year. The everyday choices we can determine how much of a carbon footprint everyone leaves on the planet. Using your car for short distances instead of walking, leaving the water running, not recycling things correctly, and using heat and electricity when it is not needed. Many people are skeptical because they do not believe that changing daily habits can make a difference, but it can. We can all choose to be more sustainable, even if it is just a small change. Some people do not have the resources or options to live sustainably and healthily, but that is perfectly okay. Those who do have the option should try to live more sustainably. As individuals or families, there are many ways we can change our daily habits to live more planet friendly. We can grow our own herbs and food, use less water, and turn off lights when we are not using them. Families with more money can choose to buy from local farms and companies, instead of supporting big cooperations that do not care about the environment. We can limit our plastic waste by bringing reusable bags to go shopping and using reusable water bottles instead of single-use ones. Large companies produce way more pollution and toxic waste than individual human beings. They create many factories that are polluting the skies, and they care more about mass production instead of the health of the planet. By boycotting large companies, and supporting small businesses that make clothes, furniture, and art, we can limit toxic waste and help better the planet. Some can argue that small businesses are not worth it because they charge more than large companies, but there are reasons for that. The reason large companies can mass produce is because of supply and demand. The more people need or demand a product that is easy to produce the more they produce it. If they price things too high, the demand will lower, if they price them lower, more people other than those demanding it will buy them. Small business price their products higher because they are using more sustainable and biodegradable items to make their products. It is dumb, but these resources are more expensive to get since people do not use them often because they are harder to turn into products. it takes a lot of trial and error to make something planet friendly. As an individual, I may not do as much as I can to live more sustainably, but I am trying my best. I plant herbs and flowers, I own many multiple-use containers and items, and I thrift most of my clothes instead of buying them every time I need something. I am trying to use less water when brushing my teeth and taking showers, and I use reusable bags when I go grocery shopping. most of the people I know still use plastic bags when we go shopping together, so I am always carrying around a few of them in my bags so we can limit our plastic use. We can make the world a better place if we take it one step at a time.

Not only do I identify as a first-generation black student, but I am also someone who is part of the LGBTQ+ community. Finding supportive people outside of these communities is incredibly hard. Inside the communities, are some of the most supportive people you will find because they know and understand what you are going through. As someone who has grown up without support from my family for identifying as bisexual and wanting to get a better education in what I want to pursue, it was hard being myself around them. In my community and communities online that I am part of, I am actively advocating for the LGBTQ community and advising those who are struggling. When I figured out that I like not only men but women as well, I thankfully could talk to some close friends who were also a part of the LGBTQ community. They helped me stop myself from thinking that I was weird, or different from other people. My family was a different story. My cousins my age were supportive but skeptical at first, and the older ones in my family still do not want to believe I like women even though it has been years. When people come to me asking for advice, I try the best I can because I know what it is like being in their position. While advocating and standing up to others in public, on social media platforms like Discord and Instagram, and by supporting artists who identify as either LGBTQ+, POC, or both, I do the best I can to be someone others can look up and come to if they ever need anything. I encourage others to be kind and not judge others, because they would not want to be judged either. Speaking up is better than watching from the sidelines. I am currently double majoring in International Business and Marketing. Before I switched my major, I was majoring in Zoology and Pre-vet. No matter which path I chose, my family has a way to complain. "Just work an office job like me", "Stay and live with your whole family like me", "Don't go overseas and just stay here". I want to be myself and make my own decisions. I am studying at a predominately white school, and sometimes I do not feel safe because I feel like others are judging me and sizing me up. I want to be able to graduate and work in a business field where I can travel abroad for the company, and help with overseas branches. Many countries are still very anti-LGBTQ and it is hard to figure out if you will be safe when you go to the country or not. This causes many people to hide their identity, and be someone they are not. Not only is it hard on others psychologically, but it can make you lose yourself. I want to be able to advocate not only locally, but internationally as well. I would love to join a company that is actively trying to advocate for many minority and underrepresented groups and want to be a part of that. I want to be able to help those in other countries feel safe in their own homes and change the world for a better future. Life is too short to be actively hating people who are different from us just because one might find it weird. Everyone has the right to love whoever studies whatever they want and live their life the way they want.

Fighting against poetry for your love Separation is a painful thing that no one ever wants to think about. You say what a torment separation is, yet you decide to continue on and leave me. Abandoning me, yet you love me? What a funny joke. You say we are the same, yet you leave. You are scared to stay because you cannot learn how to love someone, That by this separation I may give you time to learn how to love me, but why can't you do it While we are still together and in love? Youth that possess both of us, yet you want me to waste mine yearning for you. You say youth is a precious thing but why are you asking this of me? Separation is something I do not want, yet you want to make sure you not praise yourself? Is separation the only solution? Is yet not our love for one another enough? You say absence is a torment wouldst thou prove, if it is a torment why leave? You decide to go, to sit and write about what our love once was and not try to piece it Back together, so both of us should be happy. You decide to think of only what benefits you, and not what benefits the two of us. Relationships are not just about one side, it is about a pair. You rely more on your writing than you do me, and yet I still love you. You use your excuses to create fuel for your writing, To create ammo to make me react badly just so you can have an excuse to write what you want. Your love and ignorance is a blessing and a shame all at once. My absence benefits you, but your absence destroys me.

Climate change is something that has been an increasing problem since the late 1950s. Since then, scientists and researchers have been trying their best to combat ways to slow down the effects of climate change and try to make the world a better place for humans and animals to live on. Even though humanity has been warned of the growing concerns and damage that climate change has caused, many people do not believe that climate change is something to worry about. I believe the best way to fight climate change is to be more sustainable in our daily lives even if it is a small change. If everyone becomes more sustainable, the world will become a more healthy place. Reduce, reuse, recycle. This is a common phrase that people have been saying to try to get people to be more sustainable in their daily lives. Reduce consumption of electricity, water usage, fuel usage, and other things that raise large cooperations in creating more factories and creating even more pollution. Reusing plastic or glass containers for storage instead of throwing them away, and recycling paper and glass correctly to ensure that they can be reused and refurbished into other items that are sustainable and biodegradable. Small things like turning off the water while brushing your teeth and growing your herbs and produce at home can be things that have a big impact. Spreading native flower seeds on the grounds, taking time to volunteer and plant trees or picking up trash along parks and beaches can make an immense impact as well. Some people do not have the privilege or resources to cut back on their consumption of things that harm the environment and that is perfectly okay. Finding even the tiniest things to change in your daily life can make an impact if everyone tries. Supporting charities and foundations that fund research and volunteer work is a big help in getting new sustainable technology developed. Some way I strive to fight climate change is every time I order or buy food, I save the containers they come in. I then use those containers for plants and herbs that I grow inside and outside my house, so I do not have to buy more plastic containers from big brand cooperations. I make sure to compost any leftover food to also help the growth of my plants, so I do not have to buy compost or fertilizer from the stores. I support buying clothes secondhand so I do not have to spend my money on the consumption and manufacturing of mass-produced clothes. I sadly have not done a lot of volunteer work, but I speak to community members, family members and friends about the importance of being more sustainable. I strive to put more time in during my vacations from school to volunteer at animal shelters, or volunteer to help plant more trees. Many things are speeding up the deterioration of the planet, and it needs to be addressed. We need to come together as a collective and make more sustainable choices in life. Climate change is not something to be taken likely, and the faster people figure out that our planet needs serious help, the faster we can slow down the ticking clock on our planet.

Fighting against poetry for your love Separation is a painful thing that no one ever wants to think about. You say what a torment separation is, yet you decide to continue on and leave me. Abandoning me, yet you love me? What a funny joke. You say we are the same, yet you leave. You are scared to stay because you cannot learn how to love someone, That by this separation I may give you time to learn how to love me, but why can't you do it While we are still together and in love? Youth that possess both of us, yet you want me to waste mine yearning for you. You say youth is a precious thing but why are you asking this of me? Separation is something I do not want, yet you want to make sure you not praise yourself? Is separation the only solution? Is yet not our love for one another enough? You say absence is a torment wouldst thou prove, if it is a torment why leave? You decide to go, to sit and write about what our love once was and not try to piece it Back together, so both of us should be happy. You decide to think of only what benefits you, and not what benefits the two of us. Relationships are not just about one side, it is about a pair. You rely more on your writing than you do me, and yet I still love you. You use your excuses to create fuel for your writing, To create ammo to make me react badly just so you can have an excuse to write what you want. Your love and ignorance is a blessing and a shame all at once. My absence benefits you, but your absence destroys me.

Scientific discovers are essential to how we can know more about not only life on earth, but the worlds and systems past our atmospheres. Being an undergraduate STEM student, any discoveries that bring us closer to learning more about what's around us makes me happy. Even though there have been many crucial discoveries, there have also been cute ones! Currently, one of my favorites has been finding out that the Jorunna parva, or otherwise known as the Sea Bunny, is a living thing! Even though the sea bunny was discovered 66 years before I was born, I did not find out about its existence until 2017, when it first became a widely known adorable sea critter over social media. Being a child who loved marine life, and now being an adult who wants to become a veterinarian to take care of that said marine life, Sea Bunnies have been one of my biggest motivations contributing towards my goals. Knowing that such a cute sea animal exists, and that there could be many more adorable creatures undiscovered, motivates me immensely. There are many interesting things about sea bunnies that caught my attention, I could list them all, but I would run out of space. My favorite fact about sea bunnies, is that they are extremely toxic to anything that ingests them, which does not make them susceptible to predators. Even though they do not have many predators, they have a short life spam of less than a year. They use their time reproducing and being cute, which is sad, but fascinating. The 'ears' that we see on the sea bunnies are actually rhinophores, and it helps them find mates to be able to reproduce. It makes me sad that they are not actual miniature bunnies, but they are interesting nonetheless.

My mind feels like chaos every hour of the day. Swarming and swirling, constantly grinding its gears and never letting up. My mind feels like waves during a storm. Harsh and unpredictable; terrifying and powerful. My mind is more than enough to drown someone. I wonder who is unlucky enough to find themselves wandering into my mind. Who would be the one to get swept up under my terrifying waves, under my uncontrollable and unpredictable ocean of emotions and feelings, thoughts and fears; then I wonder who the unlucky ones are that live in my mind. Every ecosystem has things living in it. Be it if they are happy, in constant fear, or just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I mourn for the ones who live in my head. Mourn for the ones who wander in. Mourn for the ones who did not have a choice. I think the only one who lives in my deadly ocean is myself. When I think of an ocean during a storm, I think of the marine animals, the fish, and every living organism. Are they terrified of the waves like I? Do they find a place to hide from the harsh conditions a storm brings to their home? Are they just made to endure it, made to survive every time it happens? I was always terrified of the ocean until I was not. I work at a seafood restaurant in the marina; funny, right? Big open windows with captivating views stare right at me every time I work there. Big powerful, angry waves hit the tall rocks that protect the boats during storms. Big angry waves wash away everything that dares to get in its way. An old guy named Kimo comes to the restaurant two to three times a day. He sits in the same spot and orders the same thing every time. I watch him, and he stares at the ocean like it is his lifeline. He stares at it as if it was to disappear someday, and so would he. Later on, I learned that he is a marine biologist. I asked him why he loves a terrifyingly powerful force of nature. Why does he seem so drawn to it? All he said was that he learned to stop being scared. Sometimes when I talked to him, he would tell me facts and stories about when he was a marine biologist. He explains things to me that do not make sense, but they are fascinating nonetheless. He is such a weird phenomenon. Talking to him makes me want to love the ocean. It makes me want to understand what's happening beneath the harsh waves, and it makes me want to appreciate its good and bad sides. I want to be able to become a marine biologist as well. I want others and myself who have their oceans to understand that even though it is scary, so many beautiful things come out of it. I want to understand what happens to the animals, and I want to be able to help them. Going into a field working with the ocean is now a long-term goal, and I would not have it any other way. I want to positively impact the ocean world, and the people who are terrified of it. I want them to learn that things that seem harsh and terrifying, are beautiful, inside and out. There is beauty in its chaos, and we should appreciate that. I am still trying to overcome my ocean, but I want to love it all.

Being a black woman who works two jobs, I am looked down on because people believe that I am struggling so much, and I need the money. I am working not only because I love it, but because I want to be able to keep supporting myself enough financially, and to have more than enough money throughout the years. Saving money is one of the most important and smart things you can do financially. One piece of advice that my brother gave me when I started working was to put most of my paycheck into my savings account, and only use my money for necessities like gas and school fees. Being taught how to save my money in a smart way that does not affect me negatively has really helped me. It gives me more hope for college, knowing that I will have little debt when I graduate. I have learned to be smart with my money, and it has taught me valuable life lessons as well. Being able to make smart choices, especially when it comes to money, is an amazing trait to have, because it proves you are not only responsible, but that you care about your future, and you have a reason to save money. If I ever need extra money, I will always take it out of my savings, but I would put it back in with extra when I get my next paycheck. Even if I take something out of my savings, I always pay it back to myself so that I am not worried about running my savings out. I am glad that I was taught how to be financially smart because it has saved me countless times if I am in a pickle or if I have surprise bills and fees to pay.

Mental health is something that a lot of older generations overlook. They were taught to treat it as something that is a curse, rather than something that can easily be fixed with the right tools and help. Having this engraved bad feeling about mental health causing the newer generation to hide things from their family. From personal experience, my family does not care about mental health. They overlook it and just brush it off as me being lazy, and not listening to me when I say something is very wrong. I believe that a practical and easy solution to helping more people who struggle with mental help is to educate people on all aspects of mental health so they can see the signs. I believe that it is important for people to be educated on mental health so they can encourage the person to speak up and get help without being judged by everyone. Teachers should be taught about mental health so they can see when their students is really struggling and they can adapt their teaching to what their students need. School is one of the main causes of stress and it is a breeding ground for mental health because of the work overload and the mental strain parent and teachers puts on the students. Police officers and anyone else who works to serve the public should also be educated on mental health. There has been way too many instances where someone who has a disability or someone who has mental illnesses has been wrongly accused or killed because the police officer does not understand what is going on with them. Knowing the importance of mental health and how to identify it is crucial to saving people from being judged or killed because people do not understand.

School seems pretty straight forward and easy through elementary school, and then it gets more stressful the closer you get graduating from high school. I have always found school to be easy; that was until I went into my second year of high school. Completing Freshman year with a 4.0 GPA, I was pestered by my mother to continue to keep the same grades all throughout the next three years. As you can guess, this put a lot of mental stress on me. It made me feel like I had to do everything perfect, get perfect grades, study, do all my homework, and graduate with a perfect GPA. I felt like if I did not do this, then I would disappoint my family. Everyone has such high expectations of me, and I cannot fulfill them. Trauma is a real and stressful thing. Even the smallest thing someone does can make you traumatized without you, or them, even realizing it. My family constantly breathing down my neck about my grades has caused me to hate school. It makes me belittle myself and shame my brain when I do not pass a test, or when I do not get the perfect grade. I have not gotten a 4.0 since I was a freshman. Maybe it was because I thought about it too much, maybe I am too traumatized, or maybe my brain stopped working. Parents think that they are pushing you past your limits for the best, but in reality it is tearing me down day, after day, after day. Wearing me out and making me feel like I am not worthy of graduating, not worthy of the grades I get, not worthy of the recognition or praise. In reality, I feel like a fraud. I put on a mask to pretend that I'm not burnt-out, to pretend that everything is fine and that I'm trying my best. Everyone believes I am still trying. Still aiming to be perfect, aiming to please everyone even if I do not know them. The truth is, I gave up a long time ago. Does giving up mean that I do not want to try anymore? No. It means that I do not want to be shackled by my trauma, I do not want to be tethered to people who expect things that I cannot accomplish. I want to be free, be free to peruse what I want to do, to go to the university I want to go to, to have the life that I want for myself, not the life that others want for me. I am tired of being the center of attention, tired of being the family member that everyone else gets compared to because in reality, I am nothing special. I am a burnt-out teenager who just wants to live her life and become a veterinarian. I am a teenager who wants to escape from the emotional damage that my family and society has created for me. I am a teenager who is relying on hope and my own willpower to make it through this labyrinth of trauma, and to become someone that I am proud of. Do I know a version of me I want to be proud of? No, I do not. I want tot figure it out. I want to be able to look back and think to myself that I made it. I became the person I wanted to be, the person younger me would look up to and think "I want to be like her when I grow up". Trauma will never define me. Getting a college education is important to me. Being a black, first generation women in my family is a big deal to me. It makes me proud of what I have accomplished, and what it took to get here. Even if I have trauma from my family about school and everything else, I am going to college for me. Not for them. I want to prove to myself that it's okay if I make mistakes, it's okay to ask questions and to be tired of school for a few days. As long as I accomplish my goal and get there by helping myself, and others, while not stepping over anyone, everything will be okay. I am not going to let my trauma stop me from accomplishing my goals, and I hope no one else lets theirs stop them either. I want to get a college education, not only for myself, but for others who feel trapped by their trauma. I want to help them realize what they want to accomplish and what they need to get there. Education should be available to everyone without the excruciating mental and physical stress that it puts on everyone. Education should have a positive meaning for everyone, no matter their circumstances or where they come from. I am a very crafty person. I love keeping myself busy and distracting myself from my thoughts. I have a lot of art hobbies including: crocheting, painting, drawing, and playing instruments. Outside of school, I am usually working. I have two jobs. One of my jobs I work at during the weekdays and the other I work on the weekends. Working two jobs is really tiring, but I am saving up money for college because I do not want to have debt after I graduate. My cousins and are always play games after school or after my older cousin and I get off of work at night. We play a lot of games that require us to work together, and it is perfect for creating a stronger bond. A typical day after school would be go home, get ready for work, or if I do not have work, then eat a snack, say hello to my parakeets, and then play video games and study. Studying is often the last thing of my day that I do, so I am more concentrated and not getting the urge to play games. High school is not a fun experience for me, so I am not really curious about anything during school. Outside of school, I love constantly exploring new hobbies or new ways to enhance my current hobbies. When I am curious about something, I spend my time researching it, and watching a lot of videos on it until I get encouraged enough to try and peruse that hobby. I learn a lot of new things every time I am working. I work at a restaurant and at a vaccination clinic for pets, so I am constantly increasing my information on things. At both my jobs, I love learning about all the different positions and what they do and how they all fit in with each other. Curiosity is like a puzzle, and I love trying to fit all the pieces together until it all makes sense. Even though I am constantly being busy, I still find time to do all the things I enjoy, and I applaud myself for being able to do what I never thought I would be able to do. Free myself from the shackles of everything that was holding me back. I am on my way to happiness.

Being a skinny person, people think that I am healthy because of the size of my body. Others think the opposite and tell me that I need to eat more. I personally think that I am a decently healthy person. I exercise, go to the gym, play sports, and I am always moving around. On the other hand, I eat a lot of junk food on a daily basis, and sometimes I do not eat at all. I think living a healthy life should not be defined by nutrition or the size of your body. It should be defined by mental health, how you handle experiences in your life, and the people you chose to be around. Health is not defined by just one thing, but by many things. Mental health is important because not only can it affect your mental health, but it can also affect your physical health by destroying you from the inside out. Stressful situations can also cause a lot of damage to the way you live your life; it can overwork you, make your body deteriorate faster, and cause you to burn out. We look at the oldest people alive right now, or people who have lived the longest, and some of their daily habits are...questionable. Some only ate a specific food every day or did a certain exercise; but that is not what defines a long, healthy life. I believe that taking care of yourself mentally and physically, not over working yourself, and eating healthy occasionally is what makes someone healthy. Being happy and surrounding yourself with people who will encourage you to do better. Being around people and things you love is what makes a life healthy and happy. Love can do wonders to people and keep them alive for longer.

Minorities are greatly underappreciated. We are mistreated, killed, underrepresented, and looked down upon just because we look different from white people. Minorities have always been seen as inferior to the whites because of how history was made. I want to challenge all of that, and make the world a safer place for current and future generations of minorities. Being a black woman, I do not feel safe when I go to certain states or certain towns because they are mostly dominated by white people who still have racist ideals and who are not caught up with the 2022 program, that everyone deserves to be treated fairly and with respect. Minorities are being depleted of career opportunities, education resources, and fair living wages. We get classified as lower class because we get paid significantly less than a white male who could have the same skill set or less than someone of color. I am lucky to have opportunities that are not available to others because of how I grew up. I want to use my opportunities to pave a way for others to live a better life. Currently, I have been accepted to many colleges and Universities with different scholarships, but ironically I chose the one that gave me the least amount of money, and the one that has mainly white students. I chose it because not only does it have one of the best veterinarian programs, but because I want to challenge myself and see how well I will do. I want to become a veterinarian, even thought they're different, along the way I want to work with minority groups, and come up with ideas of how to make the world a safer place for minorities and to teach them how to go after the experiences they want and deserve.

Passion and drive are two things that I believe are needed to acquire ones goals. Be it personal, professional, or career goals. I believe that having these two things will bring you closer to reaching goals people have worked hard for. I have many goals for the future, but my biggest one is becoming a veterinarian. Some might think that I am only becoming a veterinarian because I love animals; that is a big chunk of why, but not my main reason. Even though m love for animals is strong, I want to become a veterinarian because I strongly believe there needs to be more black representation in the STEM fields. Being a young black woman, people often discourage me to find an easier career path because they do not believe that black people (especially black women) do not possess the same skill sets as a white male going into the STEM field. Reading all these articles of how many black people are in STEM fields in saddening because there is not a lot, nor is there an abundance of black representation in the media. My goal is to be someone for current and future black generations to look up to. I want them to have someone they can relate to, someone they can take advice from, and someone who can aspire them to push all the social expectations of black people. We are more than a darker skin color, we are people who deserve the same opportunities and education as any other person on this planet. People are so scared of being outsmarted by someone society portrays as inferior, that they try to belittle us. They try to make us believe that we are not capable of something anyone else can do, and I am tired of it.

Passion is a universal language. Millions of people could have the same passion and live on complete opposite sides of the world. There are many apps and threads where you can talk to and connect with people who have the same passions and ideas. Even though they may be far away or close, connections can be made through those little, unforgettable moments. One thing I am passionate about is making the world a happier place for everyone. I believe that my life mission is to make others happy, so I do it on a daily basis. I love seeing people smile and hearing them talk about things they love. Being in love with the small moments people have when they get super excited, I am in love with peoples smiles, and their contagious laughs. Being a very optimistic person, I always try to make others smile when I sense that they are sad, I also love giving random little gifts to people, be it one of my old plushies, or a little origami crane I decided to make out of the blue. I do not expect anything in return besides seeing their eyes light up. I want people to be happy; to have good days even when things in their life are not going the way they want them to. I believe that doing the smallest thing like giving a compliment about someone appearance, laughing at someone's joke, or just encouraging them to do something can make someone's day 10 times better. During these pandemic times, everyone especially deserves a break from all the stress and negativity on the media about everything that has been happening. Happiness is infectious and spreading it is something that should happen on a daily basis because everyone deserves to be happy.

I personally have a love hate relationship with sports. I did gymnastics for a few years, and I have done track since kindergarten. I have always had bad asthma as a kid, so doing sports was hard for me, but I wanted to be like my cousins and do the things they did. All my family has done at least one sport in their lifetime, and they always encourage my siblings, my cousins and I that we should follow in their footsteps. Everyone except my sister plays sports (She is lazy). Even though I have limitations and things that make people wonder why I do track, I still enjoy doing it because it keeps me busy. One thing that has inspired me my whole life has been my older brother Trei. He is 30 years old, he worked as a server at a restaurant for more than 10 years, and now he works at Lexus. My brother is the definition of a workaholic, and he inspires me to be one too. Sometimes he gets on my nerves because if I am having a huge problem between myself, he has different ideals than me, and it makes me upset when he is not able to help. My brother is my biggest inspiration in my life right now, and I am thankful for him. My brother has always been a sports person. He loves watching sports, doing fantasy football, and playing soccer and basketball. He has helped me train for track, apply for colleges and scholarships, get a job, and help me with all my dumb math homework (Math is the root of all evil). Trei is always encouraging me to do more than I think I am capable of, push past my limits and go above and beyond and challenge everyone's expectations and standards. A little about myself; I have a bunch of hobbies including crocheting, playing the violin, and gaming. I am a very optimistic person and I love helping people. I am currently working two jobs, one of them at the restaurant he worked at, and he encouraged me to do an interview even though I was completely terrified to. I work almost every day, this shows how I take after my brother (I am becoming a workaholic). The second job I work at is Petco, I help vaccinate animals and I love it because I want t become a veterinarian. Juggling school and work is already hard enough, but I love staying busy. I am a sprinter because it is hard for me to run long distances. The events I do are the 100 m, 200 m, and the 100 m hurdles for varsity at my high school. Asthma definitely makes things harder for me, and it makes me think that I am not as good as all the other people because of the limits I have. My brother has helped me keep faith, and he has helped me understand that I am as amazing as everyone else on my team. When track season starts this year at my high school, I am going to be very stressed trying to juggle everything, but I decided that do not want to miss out on track my last year of high school. I have been doing track since kindergarten and I feel that, if I did not do it this year, I will regret it. My brother has encouraged me to keep pushing even if I feel like I won't be able to do everything, but I know that he will be here for me when I need help.

I consider myself to be a gift giver. Be it gifts for birthdays, holidays, or random occasions. I love giving people gifts not because I expect something in return, but because I love seeing their faces light up when I hand it to them. I especially love when I randomly give someone something when I see that they are sad, and then they cheer up; this makes me really happy because I love making people's day. Not only is giving gifts important to me, but other forms of giving things to people like: helping homeless people, giving a helping hand when someone needs to carry something, giving compliments and words of affirmations, and giving thanks to people you are thankful for. I believe that all these forms of giving are significant because it shows how one little act can make a person's whole day better. You never know if someone is going through a rough time, or if they hit rock bottom, or if they are just having an awful day. Just complimenting someone or asking if they are okay is enough to brighten someone's day and make them think happy thoughts even when their mind is clouded with sad ones. I never expect people to give me things in return because I do not gift for that, and I do not expect people to compliment me for something else in return either. I do not mind if I do not get anything from people; as long as I can make someone happy, that is all that matters to me.

  A lot of small things make me happy; animals, letters, stickers, plants, people saying hi to me, complimenting me, seeing videos of cats, I get happy very easily. Being a very optimistic person can be a blessing and a curse. Even if I am very optimistic, I am incredibly pessimistic at the same time because of trauma. I always try to stay positive so the people around me have better days.    My friends describe me as a puppy, the sun, and a cinnamon roll. It makes me happy that they think I am a ball of sunshine and happiness because even if I am not happy all the time, I still try my best to be there for my friends and to be their light in their dark days.     I have a lot of hobbies, and even if I learn them and then not pick them back up for months, those small actions were fun. I learned how to crochet, how to paint and make sculptures out of clay, I learned how to make blankets and I learned how to sew. Furthermore, I love using my hobbies to make gifts for people. Making gifts is something that I enjoy doing; even if it is not a holiday or a birthday, I love seeing peoples faces light up when I hand them a homemade present.     Hearing people talk about their dreams, something they are excited about, and just seeing them be happy over things, is something small that makes me incredibly happy. Seeing people laugh at their own jokes to the point where they can barely finish it, getting really hyper and giggly when they think of a fun memory, and just being them is encouraging. I believe that happiness is infectious, so even small things can make anyone's day brighter. 

   My close friends describe me as a good listener; my family says I do not listen enough. I have selective listening, so I actively listen to people who do not judge or criticize me, I listen to people who need advice, who need to rant, or who just need someone to talk to.  Listening to others means a lot to me because I want others to feel like they have someone to talk to because I never really did.      Growing up and even now, my family has bad communication and listening skills. They do not believe or understand mental health so when I was struggling, they would never listen to me even when I desperately required help. This made me develop a habit of not asking people for help because I was afraid they would ignore me like my family did. My past trauma makes me more empathetic to those around me, and it makes me want to help them. This is a good and bad things because I get to help them, but I ignore my own needs in the process.      To me, actively listening to people means that you care, you want to help them and be there for them even if they think their problems are too big or too small. Even though listening might be such a small trivial to some people, it can make a huge impact on someone's life; making them want to live longer, encouraging them, inspiring them, and making them overall more happy. That is the impact I want to make when I listen to people. I do not expect anything in return, I just want them to be happy and live a better life, even when they do not believe they should. 

Hi, my name is Adri! If I had to choose between two animals that I relate to I would say a goldfish and sea otter. My memory is somewhat bad, or maybe I just have selective memory because I forget things really easily so I would say a goldfish because they forget things. I am very energetic and ironically, I suck at swimming but I love playing with rocks and shells like an otter, and I am very curious and willing to learn a lot of new things. I would say I am very active and lazy at the same time because I am a workaholic, but I love procrastinating.

Even though this has been around for a while, one old and still advancing technology that inspires me are prosthetics. There are different types of prosthetics that all help immensely in various ways. Prosthetics inspire me because they are helping people who lost a part of themselves try to feel complete again and try to feel normal. People who use prosthetics might have lost a limb, may have been in bad accidents, war, or just needed an amputation due to health reasons. All of these people had lifestyles that might have suited them, but their dreams were ruined because bad things happen. Prosthetics help the person rehabilitate, and they help them feel back to normal, since they might hate that things have changed with them. It warms my heart that there is technology out there that help people get back to their routines; like if they lost a leg and required a prosthetic; the prosthetic can help them feel like their normal selves again because they can relearn to do the things they love, even if it is a difficult and long process. I have read articles of people with prosthetics doing everyday things like running a marathon, and riding a bike. I am glad that they are still able to do the things they did before because sometimes disabilities take the things we love away from us. Learning about prosthetics is intriguing and enlightening because not only do they help humans, but they help animals as well. For example: I have seen on social media and movies, elephants and dolphins that are fitted with prosthetics to help them after they lost a leg or a tail. Growing up, I would always watch “Dolphin Tale”, which is a movie about a dolphin who needs a prosthetic fin. That movie always made me cry, and it still does. Sadly, the dolphin who was named Winter died in November 2021. Seeing representation of prosthetics in movies and social media make me have hop for humanity, and it makes me excited to see how this technology can advance more throughout the years.

Education drastically needs a better system to be able to help current and future generations in schools. Children and teens are struggling with having too much homework, little to no sleep, mental health issues, and being discriminated and excluded during school even though it is 2022. I believe mental health is one of the biggest issues we need to focus on because if we pinpoint that, we can target all the other issues and work to solve everything. One change I believe that would make education better for not only future generations but as well as current generations, are having therapists in schools that are qualified and trained to deal with mental health. Public schools are in desperate need of someone who can understand and help children through hard times who believe that they can not talk to their parents; if there are trained people in the schools that specialize in mental health, the students will not have to worry about the expensive costs of therapy and just rely on the person in the school. Some will argue that a therapist in schools will be a waste of money because the school district would have to pay them; if we pinpoint and better students mental health, then their grades and moods will become better because they do not have a giant storm cloud suffocating their brain. Not only could they help the students, but they can help teachers as well. Teachers struggle with understanding kids and trying to keep them in check because they do not understand why they are acting the way they do. Communication and middle ground is incredibly important, especially when two sides are trying to understand one another. Being a senior in high school, I can see firsthand how much everyone is struggling on a daily basis. Our schools are trying to encourage us to learn respect and kindness, and they say that they care about our mental health, but they really do not. They go and hand out a bunch of homework when we have 8 classes to deal with all school year, and then get upset when we try to ask for an extension. Students not only have to worry about grades, they also could be struggling at home; many students have to take care of their siblings because their parents work a lot. Not only that, but a lot of students who are juniors and seniors have jobs, and they play sports at the same time. This causes a lot of teens to develop insomnia and high stress because they are struggling to juggle everything at once. Currently, counselors at schools are unqualified to deal with mental health. They do not fully understand what is going through our minds. They think we are being disobedient and overeating when in reality we are struggling every day not being to switch out of classes, getting too much work, and no sleep. I believe having qualified people working in schools will be a game changer.

Starting this off, I personally hate writing essays because even if I think I write a good essay, it might not look good in someone else's eyes; as long as I understand and believe in what I am typing, why should I worry about what someone else thinks of my essay? I believe that it some essays are awful especially if they pinpoint inhumane activities and thoughts, but if someone has a good idea on what should make the world a better place, idea on how to help, or thoughts on how plans are going to help with those investments of making the world a better place, their opinion matters. I am not writing to meet a certain writing style, to please someone else with the way I type, I am writing to try to inform others, to encourage them that we can make the world a better place and to help them understand why it is important that we do that.    STEM has always been a passion of mine. Any career I have been interested in, relates to STEM; be it veterinary sciences, marine biology, architecture, or engineering (which does not make sense because I am bad with math). STEM not only inspires people, but it encourages them to do greater things. To go above and beyond to make the world a better place, to invent or enhance creations to keep evolution of technology and medicine flowing.    Art is another one of my passions, but also a hobby. There are many forms of art; including dance, singing, preforming, painting, drawing, sculpting and architecture. Art is not only its own form, but it is also a part of STEM. Many forms of art are used in STEM to better help with creativity and new designs.    I personally believe that STEM and Art are two major education and career paths. They both require a lot of thinking, creativity and imagination. With both of these categories, there are many infinitely possible inventions and creations that people can discover and create to better the world and the lives of everyone.     I believe that STEM and art could make the world a better place because with how much our society is advancing in number of births, number of houses being built and the more food we need, we need to keep coming up with new and innovative ways to make life more livable and sustainable for everyone.      Science and technology are one of the most advancing parts of stem that are being used to make sure we have a better life for ourselves and future generations. Medicine is advancing at an extreme rate, bringing new safe experiments (hopefully), new cures to diseases, new discoveries of diseases and illnesses, and new vaccinations against viruses that are affecting our everyday life. There has always been a high demand for doctors and scientists, and we have not been disappointed with the amount of people wanting to go to medical school to peruse an education and career in science and medicine because they want to help. There are still a lot of jobs that are in high demand like nurse's, data scientists, veterinarians, physician assistants, and many more; this high demand in jobs is being met with more generations being inspired by STEM and wanting to go into those fields of studies and careers.      STEM and Art are closely linked together, so Art falls into the STEM category. Without STEM, there would not be advances in technology at all.  Everything would be bland and gross. Art helps stem be more innovative and creative. Take engineering, for example. Engineers can use designs they created through art to engineer a device that's new, or a device that can be upgraded to look better. Engineers can also work with architects to help design buildings through blueprints and design plans to make sure that the building they want will be able to withstand weather and all forces of mother nature and be livable in.         A little about myself; I am a pretty weird person in a way. People say my personality is peculiar, and they cannot figure me out a lot of times. I am very closed off with my emotions, but I love listening to other people and trying to help them. I have quite a lot of friends, but I am close with all of them because I love getting to know people instead of just having to encounter them a few times a month. I am a workaholic; I love working; I have two jobs, and I am on track to graduate high school. I have a lot of hobbies that include: Gaming, painting, gardening, playing instruments, and crocheting. I own three parakeets named Ori, Ocean, and Milky, and they are the most adorable things ever.     I love animals. My favorite animal is the sea otter. I am always watching videos on sea otters and I have a lot of plushies. I want to peruse a college education because I want to achieve my dream of becoming a veterinarian. Both my parents went to college, but I know my mom did not get to finish it, I am not sure about my dad. College to me seems like a good way to escape from all the stress my family puts on my, and it makes me excited to actually peruse something that I am interested in and something that I want to do; not something someone else wants me to do.      College is not available to everyone, so I am glad to be able to have the opportunity to pursue a higher education, and I will not take it for granted. I want to pursue a higher education because I want to change the world, I want to challenge social economical standards and encourage other black women and younger generations to pursue a career in STEM. I believe that racial representation is important in daily life, especially for younger generations.

Being a black women wanting to pursue a D.V.M., I am passionate about STEM because I want to be able to show society that black people are way more than the color of their skin. We are smart emotionally and intellectually, we can do whatever a white person can do, and we should be able to get the same education and opportunities as white people. Just because the color of our skin is different, does not mean that it is okay to treat us any differently. Becoming a vet has made me realize that it is going to be a hard thing to accomplish. A lot of eyes are going to be on me when I go to university, and when I finally achieve my goal. So much pressure comes with being a minority, especially a black female, who wants to enter STEM fields. People are going to try to belittle me, tell me I should give up, that I will not make it, but I believe in myself. I am passionate about my dreams and goals, I am passionate that I can make a difference and encourage more black representation. Representation is not the only thing I am passionate about in STEM. I am passionate about becoming a veterinarian because I want to be able to offer things that the vets in my city do not offer. When I had a pet hamster over a year ago, none of the veterinarians in my area would allow care on animals unless it was the emergency vet clinic, which was expensive. Not having a way to get there was a struggle as well. I want to be able to provide a community for people and their pets to come to. I want to be able to have people come to me in emergencies or not, no matter what time of day, so they have less of a chance of losing their beloved pet. With black workers making up only 9% of the STEM fields, I want to encourage incoming and younger generations belonging to Black and Hispanic communities that they can be whoever they want to be, even if someone does not believe in them. I want to be a role model and encourage others to be one as well. I want communities to come together and work with one another to make the STEM community a better place, to make their communities a better place. Furthermore, I do not want people to be afraid about what they are passionate about. People should rely on each other and encourage one another to challenge and question social norms; to challenge economical pay standards and to push for higher pay grades for Blacks and Hispanics. It is not fair that we are getting paid less than Asians or White people just because of the color of our skin and the assumptions that follow us wherever we go. Why should we be forced to get paid less than anyone else even though we are doing the same exact job? Why should we have to deal with the scraps when we are capable enough to get the full meal. Pursuing a career in the veterinary field is incredibly important to me, so I can not only help animals, but help their owners as well. I want to create a trusting and reliable community; encourage people to be able to count on me and others even if they are scared, even if I am their first or last resort at saving their beloved animals. I want to be able to bring communities together no matter what.

Hobbies have always been a way for me to escape reality. For me to ignore my emotions and my problems, but now they have become a coping mechanism for when things get too overwhelming. Over the past few years, I have been interested in many hobbies and my family praises me for wanting to expand my horizons, but they just see it as that and nothing more. Hobbies are not only something to do to pass the time, they are an art that helps you recognize yourself more, help you be more in tune with your emotions and what you want. One of my favorite hobbies is crocheting. When I was little, my mom taught me how to finger crochet, and I would always make a bunch of headbands to give to people as gifts. I would sit on the ground for hours, concentrating and passing the time. Years later, my mom taught me how to crochet blankets. I started my own project and tried making a blanket for myself. It did not turn out very well, but I learned a lot from it along the way, I learned what I did wrong, how to fix my mistakes, and how to improve. The next blanket I tried making was a present for one of my dearest friends. It turned out well, and she loved it so much. I was proud of myself for learning from my mistakes and accomplishing what I was working on. Crocheting has been something that I do to pass the time. I learned how to do amigurumi which is making animals with a magic circle start. I learned how to make bumblebees, whales, and snakes. Making bees is something I have been obsessed with since I learned how. I would sit for hours at a time, making multiple bees, just so I would not have to deal with my problems. Even though I enjoyed doing this, it did not make me feel whole. It made me feel more empty because I was ignoring everything with a hobby instead of finding an actual solution. While going on a process of learning to process my emotions instead of ignoring it, I would crochet bees to help me cope along the way, so I did not feel like I was drowning myself. Crocheting became a way for me to deal with my emotions i n a way that is comfortable for me, a way that does not make me feel suffocated to the point where I feel like I cannot breathe. This is why I enjoy crocheting; because it helped me through tough times even if no one else was there. It helped me be comfortable in my own skin, comfortable processing my emotions without having a breakdown.

Friendships can come to you in unexpected ways, whether you are looking for one or not. Most people see friendships as a stranger you meet and become close with, but to me, I see friendships as something special, sacred and something to cherish. I have always preferred having a few close friends over having a lot of friends. Even though I know a lot of people, I see them more than acquaintances than friends. I have had a few close friends since middle school, and they are basically family to me. I spend a lot of time with them making memories, going through thick and thin. Friendship is not only a label, it is people who will stick with you no matter what, people who give their all to keep you in their life even if everything is going bad. People say that family is only people you are related to. I think of family as people who I trust completely, friendships mean family to me. Friendships make me feel safe, being with my friends makes me feel at home. Home is not only four walls and a roof, it is people who give you reasons to stay no matter what happens. Anything can happen in friendships, you can grow distant and have arguments, but what defines a friendship is if the people are still willing to try and make everything work because they do not want to lose each other. I define my friendships based on if the person backs their words up with actions. If we are going through a tough time in the friendship, I will try my best to fix everything but if they do not show the same energy back, did they really appreciate my friendship the whole time?

There are quite a few things about me that I like and dislike. I am very creative, a good listener, a hard worker, but I procrastinate, I have selective hearing, and I have quite a few bad habits. Honestly, not a lot of things motivate me besides my friends. My close friends motivate me to be a better version of myself and to chase after my dreams and ambitions. They help me realize that I can do whatever I put my mind too if I am passionate about it. Currently, I aspire to become a veterinarian, and I plan on doing that for my whole life. But if I did not have the option of becoming one, I would imagine myself wanting to travel the world as a photographer. Traveling has always been something I have longed to do, I want to try new foods, explore new cultures, view the beauties and bad sides of the world. Personally, traveling along with someone or a group of people is more of a longing I have than traveling by myself. I have always preferred to do things with others because being alone does not make be happy. Photographing my adventures not only for memories, but to share with others to make them feel like they were along with me. I want my photos to be able to come to life, to speak unspoken words through images and liveliness, to show people how amazing the world is inside and out, even if everything has been going downhill recently. Being able to bring fresh new ideas, ideas, and diversity to the STEM community makes me excited about working in it and studying in science. Working with animals has always been a passion of mine, and I am excited to bring new ideas and ways of running a clinic into light. I want to run a clinic where there is a diversity of species, not just common house pets. Being a black woman, I have a lot more eyes on me than someone who is a white male going into STEM fields. I want to be able to bring diversity and inclusion of more women and minorities into the STEM community to encourage young children of color that they are capable of being who they aspire to be. 9% of STEM workers are black, and 27% are women. With these low percentages, it makes you wonder what the percentage of black women in the STEM fields are. I believe that if I go after my dream of being a veterinarian, I can challenge the social economical racial exclusiveness and pay standards of the STEM force, and encourage others to challenge the system as well to enlighten more minorities and women to stand up for what they believe in, to be role models for children who look up to them. I want to be able to exceed societies expectations, and bring more women and minorities into the field without them being scared of being belittled and trampled on just because they look different from white men. Since the global pandemic, the world has been in chaos. Many state and nationwide quarantines, people getting sick, deaths, and school closings. Our schools told us we would only be put for 3 weeks, which turned into moths, and a whole entire school year. I have not faced a challenge as hard as when we had to do remote learning. Being a visual and hands on learner, I need to touch things and get demonstrations in person to be able top fully grasp the information I am being taught. Being stuck with remote learning my junior year of high school, it was harder for me to pay attention and understand what the teacher was talking about. In my freshman and sophomore year, I got excellent grades, and I was confident in my learning abilities. I felt dumb and mentally restricted when we had to do remote learning. I paid less attention in class, it took me longer to do my assignments and I always turned them in late, I failed a quarter of my English class, but even if I was doing bad, I managed to overcome it. In March, I got a job, my brother told me that I needed to keep my grades up if I wanted to keep my job. I managed to start focusing more, and even though I hated it, I managed to pull through with only one mishap. Now in my senior year of high school. I am still struggling trying to focus even though we are back to in person school. I enjoy school but have a love hate relationship with how everyone is doing when we got back from remote learning, the teachers are struggling trying to keep kids engaged, and getting people to get their work done. Furthermore, I personally do not enjoy high school now after everything that happened, but I am excited to continue my career when I go off to university.

 I come from a black family who grew up in Alaska. I have not been to Alaska, but my family would always tell stories about how fun it was where they grew up because our big family lived in the same neighborhood. When I grew up, my family and I all lived in proximity with each other. I grew up with a lot of cousins and even now, we see each other almost every day and I play games with some of them all day every day. People would describe me as a reserved but fun, chaotic person. I would describe myself as someone who cares a lot about people, who is a good listener who has selective hearing, and someone who works hard but procrastinates a lot. I may have a lot of flaws, but the good things overweight the bad.   Striving to become a veterinarian in the future, I am planning to attend Washington State University in fall of 2022 to study biology/pre-vet. Not only that, but I am going to get a bachelors degree in biology, and then go to a veterinary school to get my D.V.M. I am going to go to school for about 8 more years after I graduate high school, and I am somewhat ecstatic about it, but also not really. I am confident that I will be able to succeed in school, even though a lot of people do not have faith in me.     An obstacle that I have faced was when I was going through a depressive episode and no one was there to help me through it. My family is amazing, but they do not believe that mental health issues exist, so when I tell them I am struggling mentally, they just tell me I am too young to have any real problems. The biggest depressive episode I went through was during 2019, and it lasted for a few months. It was when I broke up with someone who I loved very dearly, and I did not know what to do with my life or myself after that. I stopped eating, stopped sleeping, I talked to people less, and I only came out of my room to go to school, and to use the bathroom. I was struggling trying to keep myself happy and when I tried going to my family for help, but no one would listen.     End the end, I developed a bad habit of not talking about my emotions to anyone unless I could not handle it anymore. There was only one person who helped me through my episode, and it was my friend Thaoy. He did not just teach me how to be more open and to trust certain people, he taught me that even if no one but a few people stand by me, as long as I believe and love in myself that is all that matters. I learned that I am capable of dealing with tough situations by myself, and it is okay if I need help once in a while, but I should really and trust in myself more. Learning this has helped me be more confident, more blunt and assertive with what I want and need, and it has helped me deal with situations in a less chaotic manner than I did when I went into my depressive episode. I still have a lot to learn about myself, but I believe that everything takes time, and I am willing to wait for the time to come. 

I consider myself to be a very open-minded and chaotic person, in a good way, that is. My mind is always in chaos, thinking about multiple things at once or nothing at all. I have many bad habits, and I tend to be too nice to people, which is something I need to work on. I have many hobbies including crocheting, painting, playing video games, gardening, and pottery. Not only that, but I sometimes consider myself a good listener, but I have select hearing based on who is talking to me. I do not have a lot of inspiration besides my brother and my older friend Thaoy. My both has always been someone who has supported me throughout my life, even when my family would try to belittle me and put me down. My brother helped me pull through the trauma my family put me through by not believing about me and by not caring about my feelings when I needed them the most. He is my main inspiration for me to strive to be a better person. Ever since I was little, he would help me if I was struggling in school, and he would help me if I had any kind of problems. He would always be there for me and stand up for me. Even though he is busy now with a fancy job selling cars, he still tries to make time for me and to make sure I have the resources that I need to be successful in everyday life. '' I have known my friend Thaoy for about three years now. We met over discord in the summer of 2018, and he has since then become one of my closest friends. Without him, I would not be able to take care of myself or handle the situations that I have been through without going crazy. He has helped me through school work, relationship drama, self-hatred and helping me find self-love, and he has helped me immensely with planning everything out in a way that helps me understand things. I do not intend to create any type of technology, but I do plan to impact the veterinary world. I want to become a veterinarian for multiple areas of expertise like working with cats and dogs, birds, reptiles, etc. Furthermore, I want to create an environment in my clinic that I will eventually open up after I finish school and gain experience, to help not only animals, but their owners establish a sense of connection and trust with me. I want them to be able to rely on me and thank me, even if things do not go the way they hope it would go. I want to make an impact on the world by bringing more diversity to the STEM community. Not only that, but I am a black woman who is very determined to achieve my goals. There is a big struggle with black people trying to get jobs in STEM fields because it is a white dominated path. Eventually, when we do make it in, black people make significantly less money than white people who do the same job as them, and I want to get rid of those social economical standards and create ones that are fair to everyone, no matter what color of skin you have because in the end, people are not getting the same education and have the same knowledge and jobs just to get paid different wages.

 I have always struggled with loving myself and accepting myself for who I am because of how I grew up. I grew up in a judgmental and hypocritical family who believes that they are always right because they are the grownups. My cousins and I had, and still have to, deal with our family comparing us to one another and putting us down because some of us get bad grades and some do not. Meeting friends and new people have helped me learn to start ignoring what my family says, and they have encouraged me to listen to what I want to do, not what others want for me. The characteristic I value most about myself is that I am strong emotionally and physically and I am able to handle tough situations.      I have a few close friends, and knowing them for years has helped me get to know them, and me, better. Before I met my friends that I have now, I would always be scared about what my family and other people thought about me. My family would always tell me that I need to get good grades and I need to do this, or do that, and if I did not do what they told me to do, I would fail in life. These situations have made me develop an unhealthy habit of pushing myself way past my limits to the point where I stop taking care of myself because I am stressed, and I am focusing on getting everything done. One of my friends in particular have helped me listen to what my body needs physically and mentally, and they have helped me plan things out, so I am not doing everything all at once.      I am still learning how to take care of myself more, and I am still learning how to cope with stressful situations, but sometimes I get very overwhelmed.  Have learned how to manage my time better because the tough times my family put me through taught me how to get things done before doing things that I want to do. I guess this is what people mean when trauma makes you stronger, but it did not make me stronger, my friends made me stronger. The trauma I went through up until now made me more traumatized, but my friends helped me cope, and they helped me get over my trauma enough to where I am not thinking about it all the time.      I feel like having the strength that I have now will help me in the long run because I am wanting to go into a white dominated field as a black woman. I want to become a veterinarian not only to prove to my family that I can do things I put my mind to, but also to encourage and inspire young black kids that they are worthy, and they are able to do things even if society thinks lowly of them. I want to break social standards and social economic pay that gives black people less pay than white people. Not only that, but I want to be able to do what I want to do, and become what I want to be, without someone stopping me because they feel I am not capable enough. Having this characteristic has made me strong mentally, and it has given me more courage and self-love to do the things that I am really passionate about.

Looking through Instagram and Pinterest, I always see these amazing pieces of art. I myself love painting, but I do not have as much of a passion for it as do the people I see make their art. My favorite artist is Qing Han (@qinniart). I personally did not know them, but their art spoke to me in ways that words are not able to comprehend. My favorite piece of art from Qing Han is untitled, but it was drawn based on her Fibrosis Sarcoma cancer. This piece of art has made me very emotional, and it helped me see how someone else was coping and relaying their struggles through art and not words. Qinni's art has made me want to become a better artist. She has made me want to learn how to express my emotions through my art because I struggle intensely at expressing my emotions in person. Even if I am close with someone, it takes me years to be able to talk about my emotions to them because I feel like a burden. Through art, I can put my emotions in hidden or deeper meanings than what words would not be able to say. The piece of art is a girl with bandages being consumed. Qing Han interpreted this has her struggling with her cancer, and it feels like she is getting consumed more by it every day. I relate to this on a lesser level by me feeling like I am being consumed by stress, depression, anxiety, and pressure. This inspires me because it makes me realize that even though Qing Han was being consumed by her cancer, she would still make art. She would do the things she loved up until death. She inspires me to keep pushing even though it's hard.

Reading books has always been something I have loved doing. I am able to read for hours at a time, and I can complete a 500 paged book in a day if I tried hard enough. Books have always been my way to escape reality and to drown everything else out. I bury my nose in all the books I read, and they are all inspiring to me in one way or another. I have multiple favorite books but the one that has inspired me the most is Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. Furthermore, I read this book during my sophomore year of high school. I found it in my school's library while looking for poem books. I heard about the book before because it was recommended to me by a friend, but I forgot about it until I saw it again. This book has become one of my most read books, and every time I reread it, I learn something new. This book starts off with two guys who meet each other at a swimming pool, one of them who can swim well and one who cannot. The story progresses as them becoming friends, and questioning their sexuality, to them figuring out their emotions but being scared, and then finally accepting it and going in. This story has inspired me to stop being scared of myself, my emotions and my sexuality, and it helped me learn that it is okay if I don't fit societies social standards, as long as I am happy with myself and my decisions. The book encouraged me to take risks, go on adventures, find love and happiness, and just jump in to things that excite me and to stop being scared of the unknown because everything has its own journey.

   I am part of a club called PRISM. It used to be called GSA before the club got a new advisor and president. I am the VP and our goals are currently to remodel and beautify a garden that was made in memorial of the previous GSA president who committed suicide. Her name was Raven. The members of the previous GSA club created the garden, but it was forgotten. Our club goal is to bring together not only people who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, but people who want to make an impact on our schools' community as well. We want to make our school a safer place for people to feel like they can be themselves without being judged or watched.      Our club has plans to restore the garden and create a place where people who are not only part of PRISM, but also people who feel like they need an escape to somewhere safe. We want the garden to be a beautiful place with a central tree, flowers and herbs, stone pathways and benches where people can sit and chill at during lunch and passing times. We want to be able to show Raven that we still remember her and that our school is trying its best to keep her legacy alive.          The president of the club and I are trying our best to complete it before we go off to college in a few months. We want to be able to leave the club with someone who has a passion for it and someone who really cares for it. We really want to make our school a  safer and better place for all the students. Furthermore, we plan on starting fundraisers and selling things approved by our school to be able to make money to succeed.

   Animals have always been something I am passionate about. I have chosen to become a veterinarian because my love for animals outgrows my fears of failing to save them, or failing to not be able to make it to veterinarian school. I strive to become a veterinarian because I want to be able to help people and their animals. Two years ago, I owned a pet hamster. My hamster got sick, and I was devastated because no clinics around me were able to treat hamsters. The nearest one was 30 minutes away, and my mom did not want to drive that far. I want to become a veterinarian because I want to be able to help people keep their animals in their lives for a long as possible. I strive for people to be able to rely on me in the future to save their animals. Furthermore, I want to be a vet who helps no matter what time of day it is and no matter what type of animal it is.      I desire to become a veterinarian who not only focuses on one type of animals, one who has expertise and diversity in treating multiple types of animals. I want to be able to treat cats and dogs, rodents, birds, and reptiles. I want people to be able to have faith in me that I can take care of their pets, who are basically their family members but with more hair on their bodies. Not only do I want to have diversity with animals, but I want to have diversity with the clients and my staff. Being a black woman wanting to become a veterinarian, it is challenging because the medical field does not have a lot of black people in it because it is mainly dominated by white people. I want to be able to create an environment where my staff and clients can relate to me and trust me because I understand what they are feeling. I want to challenge the social and economical standards and I want to make a pay that I deserve, not a pay that someone else thinks I deserve just because of my skin color.      Realistically speaking, I wish I did not have to find ways to pay for college. I have been applying to many scholarships. I did my FAFSA, and I plan on taking on student loans and grants if I do not earn enough money through scholarships. I am aware that my family is not willing to help me pay for college because they have other expenses to worry about. Throughout my life, my mom has kept telling me to not peruse a career that will take years of going to school because of how expensive it will be. I plan to use this scholarship to help me accomplish that dream.    In 10 years, I aspire to be able to graduate University with a bachelors degree, and then apply to Veterinary school to obtain my D.V.M. I will start off helping at animal hospitals and clinics throughout my years of school, and a few years after I graduate medical school before I plan on opening my own clinic. I will have a lot of things to learn in 10 years, and even more after that. I aspire to become a role model for black children and other minorities who struggle getting the encouragement and recognition they deserve for succeeding and trying to succeed in a white dominated field of study. I want them to be able to know that they are strong, and they can accomplish great things.  

Adversity can be a challenging thing to go through, no matter how big or small it is/was. When I was little, I did not understand the meaning of poverty or how much a person could struggle. I came from a family who struggled growing up, so they raised me and my cousins by giving us as much as they could. A time I overcame adversity was when I was still in elementary school, and my mom had the summer off.    Looking back on that summer, I was very happy. Being the small naïve kid that I was, I did not understand why my mom had the summer off, but I was happy because I got to spend time with her. From the start of my life up until I started middle school, my mom would bring me and my little sister to our aunts house during the weekdays, so she could go to work. My family has always been pretty close, we have about 20 family members who we spend time with every week and all holidays. After school, my cousins and I would walk back to our aunts house, and we would play outside until my mom came back.   During the summers, our parents would drop us off back at our aunts house, and we called it Camp Auntie Carm. We would do small dumb stuff including making mud cakes, have rock fights, build trains out of toy cars, we would go to libraries and on walks (supervised of course). The one summer that my mom had off, was personally the best and worse summer that I had.    Even though I did not really care about anything else but my mom hanging out with me, I also cared about how my mom was feeling. I could tell that she was very stressed, even though she tried to make everything fun and enjoyable for us. My mom would start buying less, and she would stop taking us to places that cost money. I was sad about not being able to go to the places I want to go, and looking back on it, I was a very spoiled child. I did not understand that my mom was going through a hard time, and I did not choose to understand until I got older.   Learning how my mom felt during those times has helped me understand more about my family. During that summer, we moved into an apartment. We lived there for about two years and I started middle school. After the first year, my mom found another job. We started getting free meals during school, and extra help outside it. Even though my struggles are not as big as others, it taught me that bad things can happen even if everything has worked out your whole life. Your world can change in an instant, and that helped me start appreciating the opportunities I have gained for myself and the opportunities my mom has struggled to provide me with.

Being a black teenager and wanting to go into white male-dominated fields, can be nerve-racking. When people think of STEM careers and education, they mainly think of math or engineering. People think of those things and they instantly think of white males. For centuries, people have stuck with STEM being mainly white men, but back then and even now, black people are getting more confident to join the STEM fields. I am passionate about STEM because there is not enough black representation, and I want to be someone that black kids and other minorities look up to. Since I was a kid, I have always wanted to become a veterinarian. The first-ever black representation of veterinarians I came across was Doc McStuffins. Granted, this is a fictional kid show about a black girl who treats her stuffed toys; I was so happy to see someone who looked like me and be extremely passionate about what they wanted to do. This Disney Channel kids show was the first thing that encouraged me to pursue a career in veterinary sciences. I believe that having a lot of black representation in kids' shows is very important because it lets them feel connected to the character and helps them relate to them more. You will see many videos on social media of black kids reacting to seeing another black character in their favorite show for example Spiderman: Into The Spider-Verse; The kids are ecstatic because they finally have a character that they can connect to because they share the same skin color. I am passionate about STEM because I want to be able to show society that black people are way more than the color of their skin. We are smart emotionally and intellectually, we can do whatever a white person can do, and we should be able to get the same education and opportunities as white people. Just because the color of our skin is different, does not mean that it is okay to treat us any differently. Becoming a vet has made me realize that it is going to be a hard thing to accomplish. A lot of eyes are going to be on me when I go to university when I try and hopefully get accepted into Vet school, and then when I finally achieve my goal. So much pressure comes with being a black person, especially a black female who wants to enter STEM fields. People are going to try to belittle me, tell me I should give up, that I will not make it, but I believe in myself. I am passionate about my dreams and goals, I am passionate that I can make a difference and encourage more black representation. Representation is not the only thing I am passionate about in STEM. I am passionate about becoming a veterinarian because I want to be able to offer things that the vets in my city do not offer. When I had a pet hamster over a year ago, none of the veterinarians in my area would allow care on animals unless it was the emergency vet clinic which was super expensive. Not having a way to get there was a struggle as well. I want to be able to provide people not only care for cats and dogs, but care for small animals, exotic animals, and birds. I want to be able to have people come to me in emergencies or not, no matter what time of day so they have less of a chance of losing their beloved pet.

Many people have started to stand up for not only having more women in STEM careers but also more black people. Diversity is very important in everyday society, but it is also important in major fields of work and study, where people of any age or race should be able to express their love and interests for what they are passionate about. I believe that it is incredibly important to have diverse representation in STEM because not only does it encourage young black children to stand up for what they want to do, but it helps them believe that society is trying to be better for the newer generations and encourage people to do the careers what they want, even if others stand in their way. STEM careers have been dominated by white men for centuries. Society has made people believe that women who are black are not intellectually capable to be successful in STEM careers and education. Being a black woman who wants to go to college to become a veterinarian, I have felt a lot of pressure and eyes on me because I want to go into a white-dominated field. This has put a lot of stress and pressure on me because I feel like society will try to make me fail. Growing up, I have always felt underrepresented and looked down on because people believed that I wouldn't be able to meet the same expectations as a white child. When I got to high school, I started focusing more on my education, and I made sure that I got good grades every semester and every year. I went into hard classes to further my intelligence and now being a senior in high school, I have exceeded the expectations of not only the people who have doubted me but also the expectations of my family. Black people make up about 2.1 % percent of veterinarians. this is an incredibly low number especially for such a popular field of study and careers. Veterinarians have been in high demand for years, and it is sad to hear that only 2.1% of veterinarians are black people. Even if a field is in high demand, society wants it to be in high demand for white people. Even the pay wages are focused on helping out white people more than black people. The big gap between wages is explained in the requirements section of this scholarship, this shows how much society favors white people over black people because they do not like change. If a black person is doing the same job as a white person, same quality or better, they should be getting paid the same wages, but they are not and that sucks. This belittles black people because it sets them up for failure to peruse something they are incredibly passionate about. I believe that having more black people in STEM fields is important because people deserve to have role models to look up to and to encourage them that they can do anything they set their mind to, even if society is trying to beat them down every step they take. It is incredibly important to me as a black person that we talk about and encourage more black people to peruse STEM careers if they are passionate about it. We need to show that we will not let people walk over us any longer, and we will exceed their low expectations by a landslide. Black people make up 9% of stem workers, and that low number saddens me because we are amazing and deserve to be recognized.