As a college student interested in mental health, what actions can you take to create a positive impact? 400 - 600 words During my senior year in high school, I struggled to address my emotions, and life felt unbearably heavy. The weight of college applications, senior year, and family dynamics seemed to provide more anxiety and stress than I could manage. I found myself in a spiral of major depression, completely unable to function. I was in uncharted territory and couldn’t dig myself out of the hole. The things that once made me smile were no longer interesting. It also became increasingly difficult to go to school and focus. When I did attend school, my teachers sent me to the school counselor. She didn’t help or chat with me and even seemed annoyed that I was there. Ultimately, the counselor sent me home with no resources or recommendations. The people around me that I felt the closest to didn’t understand and were less than supportive. I didn’t feel like my mother understood what I was going through, and my friends at the time distanced themselves from me. In hindsight, I learned that many people are considered fair-weather friends. In other words, they cannot and will not be there when things are not copasetic. As a school counselor, I work hard to be the counselor I wanted and needed during my time of need in high school. When students come to my office, I work hard to ensure they feel heard and seen. I often allow students to have what we call closed-door conversations. During closed-door conversations, be it one-on-one or a small group of students, all information and thoughts shared stay in the office and are not to be repeated. While this may seem minor, the ability to truly express concerns and thoughts has dramatically impacted the counselor-student relationship. A positive counselor-student relationship helps students feel open, which in turn helps their mental health and academic progress. Along with the everyday actionable items that are necessary and very important in helping students through their mental health and daily needs, it is equally important to continue education. I do this through therapeutic conferences, professional development, and ultimately pursuing my PhD in Marriage in Family Counseling. It is not enough to help the student in the school environment; working with the student’s family is also essential. We are all the product of our family dynamics. As such, it is imperative that we work with the student and their family system to help students cope and progress through life completely. I aim to continue working with high school students and open a practice that addresses family therapeutic needs. I hope my dissertation helps my students identify what success means to them and what factors help increase the positive attainment of success. I will continue serving my community through continued education and therapeutic support.

My first experience with books began as a young child. My mother often bought me books that related to or matched cartoons I was fond of. I was taught very early on to respect my books. Books were special and almost sacred in our household. Books became an escape and a way to truly dream and learn. Even today, I am increasingly interested in learning from and reading books that speak to my identity as a Black bibliophile. One way I do this is by creating multiple BookTok collections. One topic that is a significant portion of my bibliophile identity and a considerable amount of my life is research books that pertain to my field of study. My dream library would include The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein, Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome by Dr. Joy DeGruy, Black Families in Therapy by Nancy Boyd Franklin, The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, and Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. These are just a few titles that have shaken the community of researchers. These books encouraged readers to look at the world of African American studies and stories from different perspectives. They challenged readers to bring about change after learning about the history of the lived experience of African American communities. Another topic of significant importance to me is self-improvement. This book category encourages me to challenge my existing thought processes and push me to be more optimistic. These titles include Ask and it is Given- By Ester and Jerry Hicks, The Power of Your Subconscious Mind- Dr. Joseph by Murphy, and Don’t Believe Everything You Think- by Joseph Nguyen. In recent years, there has been a push to understand one’s mental health and combat the world’s negativity through awareness practices and the Law of Attraction. While I would consider the Law of Attraction a great lesson in faith, these titles repackage faith in a more palatable way for current generations. I love to indulge in fantasy books to encourage whimsical thoughts and imagination. Although I love research books, it is important to balance your library, and one way I do that is through fantastical stories such as the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling and Children of Blood and Bone Trilogy by Tomi Adeyemi. I find it thrilling that everyone (no matter their house) is considered valuable and welcome. Even outside BookTok, you can find a Harry Potter friend and bond over simple questions like, What house are you? Or which book was your favorite? Most recently, one of my favorite BookTokers began reading the Harry Potter Series for the first time. Watching her read the books reminds you of how truly powerful and well-written the story is. The literature is so vivid that it is enough to move the reader and BookTokers following along to tears! Similarly, The Children of Blood and Bone trilogy has moved readers to connect in a unique and meaningful way. This series also challenged BookToker’s preconceived notions about what fantasy books should be. The series combines romance, fantasy, and African traditions to make a unique book experience. While I am still working on perfecting my Beauty and the Beast library, these books are certainly a great start, and I have BookTok to thank. Not only is BookTok my go-to for recommendations, but it is also a community. In a world where we are all so distant and increasingly apathetic, the BookTok community is loving and encouraging. Readers bond over lived experiences, awakened by the words on a page.

First, defining and measuring success is complex because of the various perceptions involved. As stated above, according to Merriam Webster (2023), denotes is defined as “the action or process of describing, explaining, or making definite and clear.” Meriam Webster (2023) goes on to define measurement or the act of measuring as “the dimensions, capacity, or amount of something ascertained by measuring.” In other words, to measure is to quantify the size or importance of something. The definition of perception is to “attain awareness or understanding of” (Merriam Webster, 2023). Thus, each person can then express or decide how to perceive or how they might “attain awareness or understanding of” such measurements of success. What it means to be successful varies widely. While academic success is indeed one way to measure achievements, there are also other ways in which success can be measured, felt and achieved. It covers a wide array of areas of life, including academic, vocational, financial and athletic success. The attainment of success can be promoted or hindered by a variety of factors. Those protective factors include education, participating in sports, mentorship and parental engagement, kinship bonds, racial socialization and identity, and church involvement. The factors that can hinder or be considered risk factors include the racial wealth gap, redlining, poor educational experiences, and community violence. As a school counselor, I often meet students who are promising and appear to have the world in their hands. However, as their educational process continues, these same promising students seem to lose sight of what is essential for continued progress. They begin to make adverse decisions and their academics are affected by the choices they make. In the rare case that the student graduates from high school unscathed by poor decisions, and moves on to post-secondary education, the student begins to struggle. Many of these students are considered first-generation college students and "low-income first-generation students are nearly four times more likely than their more socioeconomically advantaged peers to depart after the first year of college" (Engle and Tinto, 2008). The students that I meet are not an exception and tend to leave school after their first year in college. Living in an urban setting, many of the students I encounter are categorized as low socioeconomic students of color who are in overpopulated and underfunded schools. Based on the previously noted statistic, I often wonder whether the lack of retention in post-secondary institutions is because of the lack of support, resources, and/or educational preparedness received by the student. Considering the first-generation status I have begun to consider the reality that students often change or shift their previously identified definitions of success. In other words, perhaps providing for themselves and their families takes precedence over the long game of post-secondary education in a four year university setting. Others may have to consider life at a trade school or combination of working and going to school. Since I began working with high school aged youth my own personal definition of success has also been altered. Initially, my definition of success was finding a school counseling position, finishing my studies and continuing my work in communities of color. For my students, it was helping them find their university of choice and getting them to their freshman year of college. While I am still seeking my own academic success, I am keenly aware that academia is not the end all be all. Currently, my goal is to helps students identify their individualized goals and definitions of success and helping them execute that plan. I am less of a driver and more of a spectator and assistant to student’s brilliant future. My success is helping students find and achieve their definition of success. Engle, J., & Tinto, V. (2008). Moving beyond access: College success for low-income, first-generation students. Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education, 1–38. Ferlazzo, L. (2022, March 1). How can you measure a school’s success? it’s not just through test scores (opinion). Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-how-can-you-measure-a-schools-success-its-not-just-through-test-scores/2022/03 Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Definition. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved August 18, 2023, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/definition

During my senior year in high school, I struggled to address my emotions, and life felt unbearably heavy. The weight of college applications, senior year, and family dynamics seemed to provide more anxiety and stress than I could manage. I found myself in a spiral of major depression, completely unable to function. I was in uncharted territory and couldn’t dig myself out of the hole. The things that once made me smile were no longer interesting. It also became increasingly difficult to go to school and focus. When I did attend school, I was sent to the school counselor. She didn’t help or chat with me and even seemed annoyed that I was there. Ultimately, I was always sent home with no resources or recommendations. The people around me that I felt the closest to didn’t understand and were less than supportive. I didn’t feel like my mother understood what I was going through, and my friends at the time distanced themselves from me. In hindsight, I learned that many people are considered fair-weather friends. In other words, they cannot and will not be there when things are not copasetic. On the other hand, I also learned that I had some true friends and loved ones stuck by my side and truly prayed for my success. These friends checked in on me despite not knowing how to help and were there whenever I emerged from the scariest experience of my life. It was then that I took note of the qualities in a friend that I valued and decided what type of friend I would be. My experience in high school made me want to be the school counselor I didn’t have but needed. I began my journey as a school counselor and therapist by studying music therapy. I studied music as an alternative to talk therapy and learned how it could be used to help others through their darkest moments. I quickly realized that music would not be my medium. Despite this, I found my internship to be a valuable experience. The placement that felt most natural was when I was working with youth in a residential home. At this residential home, I realized that I genuinely enjoyed working with youth. Once I had concluded my journey with music therapy, I had to decide what to do next. I only knew that I wanted to work with school-aged youth. After research and prayer, I realized I would be interested in becoming a school counselor. I decided to be the school counselor that students needed and the school counselor I never had. Shortly after becoming a school counselor, I realized that students needed help and therapy outside of the school building, which was, at the time, outside of my purview. It became abundantly clear that the work done at school to help stabilize student’s behavior was quickly replaced by maladaptive patterns established at home or in the community. As a result, I am still on my academic journey, which is one of the purposes of helping students and their families create healthy relationships and behaviors. My prayer is that I provide quality support to my students and clients. I aim to make therapy accessible and relatable regardless of a student’s background. This scholarship will help me continue my academic pursuits, ultimately allowing me to support young people through life experiences.