As humans coexist with other organisms and use Earth for its resources, there will come a time when all resources will not be enough to sustain anyone. Although, as terrifying as it may be, there are various ways to change habits that are costworthy to the Earth. There are notable changes from global warming to stricken water reservoirs. There's a reason why there are more sustainable products coming out; the Earth will deteriorate at the rate of overconsuming and overusing its resources. Specifically with carbon footprints, it makes the individual take account of how much one is using and to be better at sustainability. However, to live sustainably, minor changes go a long way, like having reusable everyday items, walking more, eating fewer foods that cost a lot of production, etc…. The relationship humans have with Earth is special so instead of making it a parasitic relationship, the way to curate the relationship is to do one’s part. Now, what is a sustainable lifestyle? It's more than doing, it's also about the sentient thinking about what we do as being sustainable that makes a bigger impact on the individual. It is also easier said than done to say one is sustainable than to do it because it requires the acknowledgment of doing something better for the Earth. These are just small minor changes to one's routine that I think are doable and readable for people around my area, but that’s not to limit the more sustainable ways to live. For instance, solar panels, electric cars, thrifting, walking, etc.. are sustainable trends I've seen happen recently and it's great to see them progress more. Over the past year, I have been using reusable items like reusable bags for grocery shops and water bottles, and not using plastic culture is a great way to integrate one's life to be more stainable friendly. Even the foods we eat heavily impact our carbon footprint because of how some foods are produced/made it's costly. Lots of meat-related, cheese, and fish carry high amounts of CO2e and help minimize it. There are multiple solutions, but eating more plants would make better changes in one's diet and help the Earth. Aside from doing so, being educated on the matter is a crucial part of understanding the harm when simply living carelessly. Seeing that the US and I have high carbon footprints, makes one forcibly want to change because this world it's supposed to inhabit our future. Meaning, if there is no Earth there is no future and as surreal as it sounds the reality is that Earth is dying every day, the same as humans, so even small changes count, despite one not seeing a big difference. Therefore, sacrifices must be made.

Normally, when people think of mental illnesses like depression, it has been normalized to the point where it seems like a "fake" illness, which isn't true. The word gets thrown into conversations so lightly that I forget how bad it truly is. I dealt with depression and BPD (Bipolar disorder type 2) at a very young age. Not only did it hinder my experiences to live like any other traditional child, but it also made doing a daily task a challenge. Especially, growing up in a household where mental illness wasn't talked about nor believed in my adolescent years was very difficult and I wouldn't wish that for any child. However, even at my lowest point in life, I met a great therapist that changed my perception of life, my connections with people, myself, etc.. and that inspired me to want to help others like myself as a Psych major. Coming to cope with even breathing and getting out of bed was a chore and there would be days when I simply could fathom doing anything because I didn't feel like anything. Despite how I felt, my school therapist/counselor Ms. Anges really helped me cope with the little aspects of my life I found difficult or exhausting to think about or do. I gained a truly new understanding of my mental illness because I realized it didn't define me, but it still was a part of me and I started to embrace it because no one is perfect or ordinary. These are words I wish I could've ingrained in my head when I was little because I felt ostracized in many ways from the way I acted, how I expressed myself, my looks, etc... Today, I am writing this not for me, but mainly for the need for more social workers and psychologists. I am so glad mental health is being more ingrained into our society instead of making taboo because it truly is what makes us all human. I truly appreciate Ms. Anges for motivating me in life and wanting to go into this field where I can concentrate on both educational and developmental psych so that no other kid feels the way I did growing up. I can't thank her enough for going as far as saving my life and it is stories like these and like Andrew, that help mental illness immensely and is needed and should be taken into further account. Then, when people ask me why I would want to dedicate almost my life to a profession I can say what I wrote right now.

I am a Salad Bowl Girl. People may wonder what that entails and that is not a simple answer- never would be a simple answer. I made this title to represent myself, however, I made it to make me understand who I am. A Salad bowl, in a literal sense, contains and can contain any topping that is desirable to the consumer. In this case, I'm the product that is tossed, mixed, and shaken into making one whole complete salad bowl. My attributes extend from being respectful to fully listening to the voices and needs of kids. However, when I am asked who I am? The question isn’t about my physicality, even though it can be, it isn’t just one thing. Coming from a city with a lack of proper representation for kids, especially kids on the spectrum I wanted to help them and give them the resources they truly need. I grew up fitting into the most often placed label, "weird", growing up and I grew up being unsure of feeling like myself in public areas. Today my experiences have shaped me to not be shameful of my niche likes in unorthodox art, style, music, and expression. I define myself as a salad bowl girl. Many people don't realize how fundamental the child's growth is, especially the first few months of being born. Thus, why I am in the field of Child Psychology. I want to further my studies by doing a search on the minds of kids and analyzing behaviors before working with them, so I can help them to the best of my abilities. Usually, kids are not heard and do not have the resources to get help in mental health because it has been in denial or underfunded. I even did research on this in my free time about the positive impact of music therapy on children on the spectrum. There is a lot more research that can go into having more ways than regular counseling to help kids locally. I know that if I were younger and the school had resources that were a better fit for me, it would greatly improve my overall well-being as a student, and alleviate and help with mental health. It is not enough that there isn't much attention surrounding kids' mental health, let alone mental health in general. Although there are not many resources today, in the future, there will be a cultivation of helping children on the spectrum more in my community.

Coming from a city with a lack of proper representation for kids, especially girls was a very important goal I wanted to fix. It was the perfect way to align my personal goals. This would also be something I could do for the school and going back to my roots, Girls Inc, is how I found to attain such a goal; help young girls get a solid foundation in self-worth, education, and inspiration to let their voices/stories be heard. I mentioned this while presenting, but Girls Inc. is an afterschool program from 5-12 that essentially raised me and the people working there have seen me quite literally grow up physically and mentally. Thus, mentoring and gaining such connections were easy and the woman that has been the head of the program has been friends with my mom, so I knew she would take me in and help the young girls of Lynn. Through the course of a few summers back, I would go and help teach the younger kids (6-8) how to read (read them books or help them read books), tutor them, and create activities that would help them be creative and be a kid. Now, what does this have to do with helping these girls have a solid foundation in self-worth and value? Simply, there are many staff members and having close connections/friendships with them is something that will not be provided at school or possibly home. I say this because growing up in Lynn the population is immense, so getting proper attention as a child is a vital component to feeling confident into puberty. Not only is this program helping them develop such qualities, but it also gives them attention in the educational department. Again, Lynn is very poor when it comes to these topics, so it’s only fair to have a space for the youth to flourish which was fortunately Girls Inc. By the time I finished the project, my goals were accomplished, in that, I got to help the little girls develop better skills socially and academically. Pushing myself for this project wasn't difficult besides when kids get cranky it can be hard to have patience. In the program, I followed older Mentors and Staff my first few days, and because I grew up there I knew how to work easily. I would help kids as little as 5-10 years old and help with homework when they were not able to understand in school (essentially like a tutor). There were many activities that revolved around taking care of our environment like weekly cleanups. Lastly, the bonds created with these kids were a learning experience for me as well, not just me teaching them. They taught me how not to let loose and that little determination goes a long way. Although it takes time to have any footing in this world, in the most genuine way I would not be who I am today if I hadn't spent my childhood here in this program. The community bonds made within this program are outstanding and it made me appreciate having a program like this around. Now, here I am helping girls that are sitting where I sat and playing games I played. They are not in the salad bowl sector anymore, and neither am I.

I am a Salad Bowl Girl. People may wonder what that entails and that is not a simple answer- never would be a simple answer. I made this title to represent myself, however, I made it to make me understand who I am. A Salad bowl, in a literal sense, contains and can contain any topping that is desirable to the consumer. In this case, I'm the product that is tossed, mixed, and shaken into making one whole complete salad bowl. My attributes extend from being respectful to fully listening to the voices and needs of kids. However, when I am asked who I am? The question isn’t about my physicality, even though it can be, it isn’t just one thing. Coming from a city with a lack of proper representation for kids, especially kids on the spectrum I wanted to help them and give them the resources they truly need. I grew up fitting into the most often placed label, "weird", growing up and I grew up being unsure of feeling like myself in public areas. Today my experiences have shaped me to not be shameful of my niche likes in unorthodox art, style, music, and expression. I define myself as a salad bowl girl. Many people don't realize how fundamental the child's growth is, especially the first few months of being born. Thus, why I am in the field of Child Psychology I want to further my studies by doing a search on the minds of kids and analyzing behaviors before working with them, so I can help them to the best of my abilities. Usually, kids are not heard and do not have the resources to get help in mental health because it has been in denial or underfunded. I even did research on this in my free time about the positive impact of music therapy on children on the spectrum. There is a lot more research that can go into having more ways than regular counseling to help kids locally. I know that if I were younger and the school had resources that were a better fit for me, it would greatly improve my overall well-being as a student, and alleviate and help with mental health. It is not enough that there isn't much attention surrounding kids' mental health, let alone mental health in general. Although there are not many resources today, in the future, there will be a cultivation of helping children on the spectrum more in my community.