My home was not the most religious, and there was some form of shock when I chose to go to California Baptist University for college. My family and I did not attend church every Sunday but did our prayers before indulging in our food. Infidelity was frowned upon heavily in our house, yet my parents and even I found ourselves using the very profanity that is also frowned upon. Some would say our holiness was conditional and that we would be "lukewarm" Christians if we considered ourselves Christians. Yet, to me, holiness was a concept created with a particular agenda to be followed for one to prove their belief or dedication to whatever divine being is in question. As I prepare myself to enter my sophomore year of college and visit my moments through my first year, I realize the many times I used my faith as an anchor to keep going. I laugh to myself as I know that my faith has always been uncertain, yet through the months, I have learned the importance of taking that leap of faith and trusting the one above me. In the end, I had always managed to keep my head above water, and the To me, it is essential that I keep this same mindset as I further my learning into my collegiate career. My major is communications, and this requires me to equip myself with skills and knowledge related to verbal and non-verbal aspects of human communication and platforms. The ability to effectively communicate with individuals or groups of people involves understanding communication as a gift from God and showcasing the importance of ethical and truthful communication. Communication plays a massive role in shaping perceptions and behaviors in our society and its interconnectedness. And very quickly, our way of being interconnected and the power within it can be used in very unethical and corrupt ways.  In the career of marketing/communications, I strive to promote truthfulness, transparency, and fairness because engaging in your community goes beyond one's professional responsibilities. I am here to use my skills to serve others. This could be as simple as organizing events for local charities or events that bring people together to socialize; either way, it promotes human flourishing. By integrating one's faith with one's career, I want to leave a lasting positive impact on individuals and play a part in giving a voice to the marginalized.

The man who knew me before I knew him. Attending a higher education program had never caught my eye as a possibility while growing up. Even as I'm sitting in this classroom with my professor pacing back and forth, the girl two seats over appears having the mid-way break down while scrolling through her blackboard with the list of assignments waiting for her, and the boy who's laptop I periodically peek over at because Tetris seems to be a skill of his, I'm in disbelief of how I almost threw this chance away.      However, what I can tell you with no inch of doubt or uncertainty is why I decided to pursue higher education—a big part of why was the man who knew me before I knew him. For this to connect, allow me to give insight into a little about me. I am 19 years old, entering my sophomore year of college at California Baptist University, and even now, my mother and I are often confused for sisters. It is because my mom and I are exactly 15 years apart.  To lay it out flat, my mom got pregnant with me at 15 years old and chose to take on the role of motherhood, which resulted in her raising a child while still being one herself. This came with a list of burdens and challenges that my mom was left to navigate herself in this world.  Around the age of 3, my mom was finishing her high school career, and with the very few friends she made along the way, one was the man that I would later call my father figure. He would help my mom watch and care for me with such love. At this point in their life, he and my mother never pursued anything because my mom believed she would slow him down and that she and I had a lot to handle at this point in life. So, my mom and I go about our life, and he goes about his. It is now the point where I am wrapping up my 8th-grade year and getting ready to move into high school. It is no longer just my mom and I but me, my middle brother, and my newly born baby brother. I am now an older sister to two lovely people who look to me for answers to all the silly questions they can muster up and for any help they need.    As self-aware as I claimed to be at such a young age, I was blinded by how much my life would change for me and my family. How so? Because he was closer than I had realized. He came in and gave us the life I realized I not only wanted but needed. My eyes were opened to many opportunities life had to offer. If I took these opportunities and used them, I would live a life that I enjoyed, filled with experiences and knowledge.  One of these opportunities was pursuing education past high school, and it was a decision I would never regret making. Choosing this path in life unlocks doors for me and allows me to become a leading example across my family.  I, Aamya Ashay Todd, became the first in my mom and dad's family to attend higher education, and it is a decision that I don't regret.

Granola bars. More specifically, a Nature Valley Crunchy Granola bar.  My best friend is my best friend because if we ever stopped being such, she would break 20 crunchy granola bars in my bed sheets and laugh as I attempted to get every crumb off without losing my mind. I'm kidding! (not really)...My best friend is who she is for many reasons, but to sum it down to three words: trust, acceptance, and laughter. To give you a visual of my best friend, she is like if you lit a bunch of fireworks in an enclosed building…. AN unforgettable memory that sounds too made up to be true. As she sits across from me as I type this, I wish everyone could experience a friend like her, but I thank the heavens that I can say I have and always will. One of my favorite memories of my lovely best friend, who, for the sake of spared embarrassment, is named Rocket, is when we started our first year of college, and she managed to find her way into the part of the gym where all the athletes went to work out. This would also be the same place and time where we would proceed to run into two guys who we told that we were sisters from the U.K., named Ally and Ash, all in a British accent previously two nights ago at a country-style club while line dancing.  Luckily, we had completely forgotten about our little acting gig, so to our surprise, these two guys had come up to us in awe that we no longer held our accents. In addition to not having a clue as to who Ash and Ally were when they asked. We were filled to the brim with embarrassment that mid-conversation, Rocket claimed that she had forgotten to take her epilepsy medicine and "could feel a big one coming" as she dragged us out of the gym( she was the most orderly person when it came to anything).  Rocket created a safe space whenever needed but never filled my head with nonsense that would do more harm than good. Between us is an unwavering trust, and with that comes loyalty. The phrase "If your friend jumps off a cliff, are you going to jump to?" will always be answered with a yes because I will always trust my best friend jumped with reason, and if she didn't...at least we'd laugh after.  I'd known other friends longer than my best friend, yet nobody could compare to her. To my best friend, time meant nothing and everything simultaneously. I find it funny how life brings people together, as I knew that our friendship transcended words and time.

The little piece of paper that determines the outcomes of everyone's lives is money. Money became the sole reason behind my decision to choose a career path for the longest time. I didn't have the best situation growing up, and now I live a life of generosity. However, money still needs to find a way to be a problem with few solutions. I used to believe that if I picked a career that made me a significant amount of money, the sacrifice of not loving my job was worth it. Yet, as I continued to grow with the world around me, my belief in this started to form cracks and holes. The question "What if I went for the job that I really wanted?" grew, as did my love for the digital world. Social media and my interest in understanding and involving myself were proliferating. It was something that could do so much destruction but also be a place to showcase all the wonders and success of the world. The place where people found communities, public figures that spoke to them, and even the exposure to new possibilities captivated me to the fullest. I loved seeing how the digital world worked, and working within to showcase my ideas became an idea I couldn't let go of. This is when I was introduced to marketing, advertising, public relations, etc. To converse in marketing is to create and deliver a product/idea to the masses that captivates them and makes them want to engage with said product/idea. This required creativity and flows of never-ending ideas, something I found myself filled with. It was a world where I could deliver my ideas in a way that communicated to people around me. I found a hidden urge and drive in me the more I imagined myself in a space like this. I looked forward to having challenges that required me to push myself, working as a team and even alone, and watching success bloom in ways that most people might not understand. This is when I understood my want for this career surpassed any ridiculous thought. Allowing myself to work in this industry meant shaping my voice to be heard in ways it hasn't before. Growing up as a minority and looking at the history behind me, people like me have always had their voices silenced, even if the words that poured out were of such grace and knowledge. I would showcase my ideas and creations across miles, cities, states, and countries. I want to become an amplifier for my creativity. Wherever I find myself employed, I would stop at nothing to deliver the grace and knowledge that my people were never given a chance to show because within this are ideas that would speak to hundreds and thousands...even millions.

Attending a higher education just never caught my eye the way it did some of my friends. Even as I’m sitting in this classroom with my professor pacing back and forth, the girl two seats over appears to be scrolling through her blackboard with the list of assignments waiting for her, the hushed laughs that fill the row in front of me and the boy who’s laptop I periodically peek over at because Tetris seems to a skill of his, I still could not tell you why it never peak my attention to want to indulge in the things like this that higher education brings. Although, what I can tell you with no inch of doubt or uncertainty is why I decided to pursue higher education. The reason why would be the man who knew me before I knew him. My mom and I are exactly 15 years apart. My mom got pregnant with me at 15 years old and chose to take on the role of motherhood at such an early age by herself. This came with many burdens and having to move around quite a bit for someone carrying another human being. Then, on the lovely night of January 1st, 2005, I made my way into the world oblivious to the road waiting for me. My mom was finishing her high school career at a high school and with the very few friends she made along of the way, one was the man that I would later see as my father figure. He would help my mom watch me and care for me. At this time in life, he and my mother never pursued anything because my mom believed she would slow him down and that she and a child was a lot to handle at this point in his life. So, my mom and I go about our life, and he went about his. I am wrapping up my 8th-grade year, and I'm getting ready to move into high school. I am now an older sister to two lovely people who look to me for answers to all the silly questions they can muster up and for any help they need. My mom is in the middle of a divorce and moving us out of the city I spent a good 4 years of my education. And as self-aware as I claimed to be at such a young age, I was blinded by the fact of how much my life was going to change for not just me but my family. How so? Because he was closer than I had realized and he was here to make things right. He came in and gave us the life I didn’t realize I not only wanted but needed. He became the man I came to with all my silly questions but also he showed me just how many opportunities life had to offer and if I took these opportunities and used them that I would be able to live of life that I enjoyed and was filled with experiences and knowledge. He became the man I called dad. One of these opportunities was pursuing education past high school and it was a decision I would never regret making. Choosing this path in life not only unlocks doors for me but it allowed me to became a leading example across my family. I, Aamya shay Todd, became the first in on my mom and dad’s family to attend a higher education and it is a decision that I don’t regret.

I finished my freshman year, isolating myself, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I began to keep to myself, didn’t have energy to keep up with communication with my friends, and made peace with staying in my room for weeks at a time. Eventually, it started to affect my health and I wasn't eating how I was supposed to and worried began to fill my mother. My mind was not ready for such a drastic change and I was not prepared to tend and care for my mental health because I was never given the knowledge how. Eventually, my mom pulled me out of it and it wasn’t as bad. And even though it wasn’t as bad, it was still there. It showed when it was time to go back to school for my junior year. I was only able to attend a semester of my junior year in person before I went back online. I didn’t think I would find myself in my situation so, when the panic attacks would happen in the middle of school, I was unprepared.I took a break from in person and slowly did things to get me comfortable into the mindset I used to have. I accepted that I had changed in those two years of the pandemic and did many things to not neglect this fact. So, I decide that I needed to take on a different lifestyle as It is the key that unlocks many doors. It can be the wall that blocks many illnesses and benefits are endless. Living this healthy life kept me in a mindset to always keep going and to always make sure I was taking care of yourself. Having a healthy life did things that I never considered would happen with such a change. improve the way you feel about yourself. Slowly but surely my body began to change from the negative and gloomy mindset to the positive and more embracing mindset. This was the 180 that I needed in my lifestyle. And soon after the same 180 affected my mind. I begin to find more value in myself and possibly this new found confidence because of the work that I was able to put in. Now, I am nowhere near perfect and even though everyone wants to reach this level of perfect, it simply just isn't possible. The idea of perfect is not a fixed idea and varies and what I find to be perfect, someone can find to be something simple and underworked. I am glad that this is knowledge I carry with me now because it allows me to make progress in ways I couldn't before.

In school, many of us get caught up in trying to make sure they are not the sore thumb out and that we are able to do what our friends are doing. And hey!There is nothing wrong with that. Those are sometimes the best moments and memories that I madee and will hold on to for a long time. But, this is also the time that I need use to get to wherever it is that I want to go in life. Whether thats a 4 year college, community college, or trade school. No matter what it is…. I knew I needed to use this time to work towards it because this will be where I can make the most mistakes and fail and learn from them. When it comes to my education, I want to know everything and I want to understand everything there is. Now, there is struggle that comes with this. When I was younger, I had epilepsy attacks quite a lot. For me, it was like taking a long blink...I had no idea when it would happen, what triggered it, or where I would be when I wake up from it. I am now 17 and its been about maybe 6 years since my last epilepsy attack and im grateful that I can will life without worrying about attacks, even though the possibility of having one is here, its not a high possibility. Yet, part of me is still effected by this point in my life. My memory is something I describe as fragile and this is something that works against you in many ways when it comes to my education. Struggling to remember big sums of information that is given to my teachers on a daily basis was a a struggle I was not prepared for and could never explain to my parents or teachers. So, I had to find a way around it and I did. In the start of all my class I would record a voice memo and let it play for the entire class. So, when needed, I could recall on anything said in the class instead of trying to rely on my..spacey memory. It took a lot of trial and error before I got to this solution and it did the job for the time being and still does to this day. It taught me that there are solutions to any problem, you just have to be willing to find it. And me? oh I am always willing to find it. Now, I work to get into a school where I can study communications and marking in hopes of working in public relations. It turns out to be the perfect Jon for someone who is always willing to find solutions no matter if its my problem or the person next to me problem.

The most significant challenge I have faced was learning how to overcome the memory loss that came with seizures and how it affected my academic goals. The cause of epilepsy is due to disturbed nerve cells in the brain which then cause seizures. What I was not ready to discover was that overtime seizures could cause the part of my brain responsible for memory to shrink. Not only was it difficult to recall small things that happened in my day to day life but it started to roll over into my school life. It caused me to not be able to hold key details taught in class or details told to me by my peers. There would just be complete blanks or this unfamiliarity to things told to me within the last week or sometimes even days. It would cause me to not determine solid answers to questions in class or even questions on quizzes or tests. With this, I had this challenge presented to me. I had to find a way to fight the memory loss that I was experiencing instead of letting it take over my personal and academic life. So with this, I started to record audio of what was happening in class letting those around me know, taking pictures of things I knew I was not going to remember or be able to see, etc. After the end of school, I would go home and play over these audios and go over the pictures. I created folders spending on the subject and noted what each audio or picture was for. So, before tests and quizzes I would listen to the audios all the way until I had the test/quiz right in front of me. Eventually, I became more familiar with doing this and I had an ongoing routine. This led to finding a good and stable ground when it came to my grades and allowed me to have my academic record be something I was proud of. At the end of the day, this doesn't define me as person. It is simply just an attribute/feature of mines that gets better as time goes on. And is something that could never bring me shame but makes me feel grounded and makes men feel like the hardest things are only hard because I have yet to face it. Once I reach the top of each hill, I have the stamina and will to face the next one.

Since I was about 15/16 I started working at the McDonalds down the street from my house. I was in my junior year of high school and knew when my senior year rolled around, that money for school was going to be something I needed immediately. I’m thankful to say that my parents have put me in an amazing spot in life and make a nice amount of money but as life has it, there are things that must be paid…bills. A lot of them do that. I knew if I wanted to go to college comfortably, I was going to have to start working and planning how exactly I was going to do just that. Every paycheck, 3% was taken and put into my savings and the bigger the paycheck got, the higher percentage. I began to build my savings and felt like I was making the biggest progress towards lowering the future loan debt that I will find myself in a few months. When I would have school vacations such as winter break or even the summer, all I did was work work work. I became routine because I knew it would be something future me would thank me for. And everytime, twice a month, I began to thank myself in the present moment because it was indeed a task. There were days where work….began to feel like work. It was my first good job and I had no idea what to expect but regardless I had duties to do and completed them. Now, as rewarding as working was, I had to make sure that while being concerned for my future that I was also aware of the present and my mental state while working as much as I was. As much as it pains me to admit, my mind did crash a little while working. From 6am to 2pm shifts or 3pm-10pm shifts, it had taken a toll. I knew if I wanted to be able to complete my life goals when it came to college that I needed to be in the mental shape to do so. I had to take care of my present self while also making sure the future me was able to be taken care of. It was something I found to be challenging yet I did it. To the very moment that I am writing this, I still continue to work, take care of myself, and work at school because in the end, it will help nobody but me in the future when it comes to my future financial situation.

My best back-to-school tip is, “Do what will benefit you for your future”. In school, many of us get caught up in trying to make sure they are the sore thumb out and that we are able to do what our friends are doing. Those are sometimes the best moments and memories that we make and hold on to for a long time. This is also the time that you use to get to wherever it is that you want to go in life. No matter what it is….use this time to work towards it because this will be where you can make the most mistakes and fail and learn from them. There will be days where you will have to pick and choose between Friday night games over studying, in the end…whatever the choice might be, let the decision be a decision you will thank yourself for in the future. Let it be a moment where you can pat yourself on the back and give yourself a round of applause because at the end of the day, everyone deserves to go down their route of success and be able to congratulate themselves at the end. Social handle : @ashayszn

My goal for my life is know I chased my dreams. I want to live knowing I not gonna regret anything I did, whether I failed or succeeded. My goal is to fall in love life as a whole and when it comes to the life game, I want to win it.

It is the key that unlocks many doors. It can be the wall that blocks many illnesses and benefits are endless. Living a healthy life keeps you in a mindset to always keep going and to always make sure you are taking care of yourself. For instance, if you are living that healthy lifestyle and not feeding your body an insane amount of junk, you will be provided with more energy. Giving your body sun, water, and doing exercise along with the right vitamins/nourishment, be prepared to see your energy throughout the day expand. Having a healthy life can and will improve the way you feel about yourself. Your body begins to change from the positive changes in your lifestyle and then so does your mind. You begin to find more value in yourself and possibly this new found confidence because of the work that YOU put in. And honestly, nothing is better than knowing you are increasing your self-worth. There is truly one way to maintain anything, especially a certain lifestyle and that's to have the will and the want. Like many say, “You can lead a horse to water but you can not make it drink”. Some can be given the exact guidelines in order to live a life of self peace and growth, which is a healthy lifestyle, but if one doesn’t actually wish to obtain it they never will. You must have a will AND a want. Why? Because a want without will is nothing more than a thought or dream. If you have the will but not the want then it will end in nothing but resentment and a failure. The two components go hand and hand and will both, many doors are unlocked just by the touch of your fingertips. A healthy life is important because it allows you to reach new lengths. And when it comes to maintaining it? That's all up to those who decide to take the path of that lifestyle.

When covid hit, it showed me how important my mental health was…significantly. Through elementary and middle school, the topic of mental health was not discussed as much as it is now in high school. Freshman year was the year the pandemic hit in the middle of the year and lasted for almost 2 years. Before, I had labeled myself as a social butterfly, I loved school and people, and was so content with life as a whole. Then, we got told about the extension of our spring break and it was something that never sounded alarming to any teen kid. We finished our freshman year, isolating ourselves, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I began to keep to myself, didn’t have energy to keep up with communication with my friends, and made peace with staying in my room for weeks at a time. Eventually, it started to affect my health and I wasn't eating how I was supposed to and worried began to fill my mother. My mind was not ready for such a drastic change and I was not prepared to tend and care for my mental health because I was never given the knowledge how. Eventually, my mom pulled me out of it and it wasn’t as bad. And even though it wasn’t as bad, it was still there. It showed when it was time to go back to school for my junior year. The Place that used to bring me an unhealthy amount of excitement and joy now filled me with enormous amounts of anxiety. I didn’t think I would find myself in my situation so, when the panic attacks would happen in the middle of school, I was unprepared. This was also when I began how essential taking care of my mental health was. It became a goal of mine to understand my mind and how to aid it because when my mental wellbeing was in good shape so was I.

Soft;Night rain, amen, todd. My name is Aamya Ashay Todd as many people know it to be. Let’s start with my first name, shall we? Everyone struggles with it and always asks about the extra A but I love it. The origin of the name is Hindu and translates to soft or night rain. The meaning of my name is something I hold close to my heart because it describes me in a way. To the people I feel most comfortable with, they see a very soft side of me that I don't show anyone because it is a sort of vulnerability for me. I find it to be a beautiful thing as well. I consider it a gift that I am able to be as soft as I am when someone needs it. Empathy is a trait that I believe is critical to the human race. We benefit from the ability to show compassion because it allows us to lift and evaluate everyone around us. This is one of the reasons why my name means so much to me. Now, what could the term “night rain” possibly mean to me? This seems to shock most people but my day of birth is 01/01, also known to many as New Years! The day after everyone counts down to a year of new beginnings and spends the night celebrating. Ever since about age 12, I began to develop a love for the night time and the thunder and rain that sometimes came with it. I revvolved everything I could around the night setting because it brought this calming sensation to me. I am now 17 and it has grown exponentially and I hope it never stops. I was born in the night and continue to adore it through life and I carry it with me in my name. Now, we are comfortable and on a first name basis, let’s move to my middle name. Ashay comes from the yoruba word “ashe” which means “so be it” or “amen”. My name is spelled the way ashe is pronounced. The phrase “so be it” is something that I try to apply in many aspects of my life. Whenever something goes wrong it's my reminder that If i want good to come, it will. All i have to do is speak it into existence and in the end i think to myself, “so be it”. It's something that keeps me going when I let unimportant things distract me. Last but could never be least, my last name. The last name “Todd” actually comes from my step-father who adopted me. I had gone a large part of my life without a father figure that actually understood me until I met my step father who I consider to be just my father. He was friends with my mother when she had me and knew me before I knew him. I owe a lot to him and having the ability to carry the last name of a person who puts a dedicated amount of time into teaching me lessons and helping me give me everything along with my mom. I will always try to carry this name with pride everywhere I go because to me, it's a symbol of comfort and fulfillment. My name is a message to me. It's the thing that identifies me and is something to remind me of who I am. It's the thing nobody can take away from me or make me feel ashamed about.This is the power that it holds and what it means to me.