When I was 13 I set in at a meeting to discuss what was missing from our community. I didn't really know why I was there, but people were interested in what I had to say so I used the chance to speak for myself and those around me. What we wanted to see and do. From that day on I kept in contact and formed a board with an old mentor and some strangers to create a teen center in the town. We discussed who we wanted to help, what we wanted to do and provide, who we could partner with. Through that work I got to know city, county and state officials, had the chance to work with them one on one and discuss why they should give us funding. I was able to learn how to collect data, make it into charts so I could make annual reports of what was going on, what was needed, who was coming in, and where we needed more support so we could do our best at serving the community we opened our doors to. I learned about organizations and businesses in my community and created programs with them, learned to make flyers and market them so kids in the community could learn how to cook, fix a bike or computer, and be able to take it home after, how to garden and grow their own vegetables and herbs, how to apply to college and FASFA or how to vet apartments and landlords. Skills that would help young people be successful, learn a new fun hobby free of charge or low cost so those low income could also enjoy life. I was able to learn so much through the process of starting and maintaining a nonprofit, most important being the power of community, support and an open ear. Starting out I didn't know what the outcome would be, I had hopes but it was still a concept. Now being open for 8 years and having worked on it for 10 years total, my heart is in my community. I have learned that when you show someone that you believe in them, even if they never heard it before or think it themselves, they can go so far. It has taught me patience, love, and strength that I get to pass down because it was shown to me. 8+ years down the line I have seen people who didn't talk, didn't have goals, were anxious, didn't do well in school, graduated high school and college and become leaders in their communities, nurses, teachers, musicians who travel all because I was able to give them the space to grow and learn. This is why I continue to help others and why I am passionate about youth work. One person believing in you can change you, and I want to continue to be that person for as many as I can.

For years I missed school, left altogether, or struggled severely in the classroom. I convinced myself that everything was fine despite visually struggling to get by. Over the years I have learned not only do I struggle with depression, anxiety and ptsd, but also ADHD. Combining to make a cocktail of struggles while being first generation and navigating the system alone. Being a student is difficult, you have to try and pay for school at the same time alone so you are working and attending classes. We have a million assignments, being told we need to sign up for research, volunteer, eat well, exercise, schedule downtime, and get at least 8 hours of sleep somehow all in 168 hours a week. For anyone it is overwhelming and with ADHD it feels amplified x1,000. Over the start of the pandemic, like many others, I learned a lot about myself. I am not good alone, I am an extrovert and I feed off people's energy. I hate staying inside for too long. I learned what ADHD was because a friend said she would body double me via zoom and that it helped with her ADHD too, which was confusing because why did she say that? I don't have that. (She was right, I did). Exercise is a great way to help with my stress and anxiety, and so many other little lessons. A few years down the line I hit a major wall with my mental health. I wasn't balancing myself, I was undiagnosed and unmedicated, and I didn't know how to set up proper goals and check-ins with my therapist to help myself keep on track. I had to step away, start meds, and regulate myself so I could be successful and myself again. I learned my health IS ME, and I lose part of myself when I sink and I can't put my best forward. I learned the importance of taking care of my brain and body because they are both related to each other's health and function. When one isn't doing well, the other isn't. I learned that having a support system around you to show you love, support, and a hand is vital on the hard days. At the point where I was at my lowest, I was living in a queer community. The open communication of our struggles together and taking care of one another until we could get into a specialist was what held me together as long as I did. We would force each other on little walks, go hiking and yell in the woods, hug, whatever we felt like the other needed that day. Schedules are hard to keep up with, and finding the time to balance physical and mental health and all my responsibilities can feel like an impossible task. It's important because I want to continue to help myself, my community and strangers around me, but I can't pour energy into other peoples cups if mine is empty.

At just 13 years old, I started the process of launching a youth non-profit in my community. I had recently moved to the area and found very few options for low-income kids in our community for after-school activities, myself included. In 2016, after a year and a half of hard work and planning, the Youth Board and Board of Directors officially opened the doors to ROOTS Teen Center, a place for young people to be heard, encouraged, and empowered. From day one, the goal of ROOTS was for young people to head the organization, bringing in programming youth actually wanted and needed instead of adults doing what they think youth wanted and needed. In my time volunteering at ROOTS I was the president of their youth board where I helped to plan and host fundraisers, and created programs such as #LetsTalkAbout, #Adulting, open mics, recycled art workshops, and Artdoors (hiking and art program). #LetsTalkAbout gave space for young people to speak about topics that were worrying them, including gun violence, and we were joined by our Senator. #Adulting were workshops on basic adult tasks like vetting apartments and landlords and applying for college. We also build connections with a local college where leftover food was packed and frozen and then donated to our freezer for those coming in to be able to heat up and have a hot homemade meal. In our bathrooms, we provided pamphlets for local resources they may need so they can inquire in private, or if interested or needed, we were staffed with volunteers with the knowledge to point them in the direction they may need. Throughout the years we have had bike building workshops partnering with a local bike shop where kids would learn how to fix a bike and would be able to take it home with them at the end. As well as a computer building workshop hosted by a student at a local technical school, who taught others how to fix up laptops so they could take them home with them at the end as well. These two programs especially became popular as we were able to provide large recourses at the end at no cost and they learned something new along the way. Over the pandemic started Whip up Wednesdays where a cohort of kids would get groceries dropped off biweekly with a video recipe posted by volunteers teaching the kids how to cook and bake. This played as a supplemental resource as we were not able to provide frozen meals like before with the college being shut down, and another source to teach a valuable life skill. I am continuing my education in Spanish and Music Education because I want to expand the opportunity for youth programming. I am a strong believer that music builds connections, teaches valuable life skills like teamwork, and timeliness, and can expose you to the world at little cost. Travel is expensive, however, you can learn so much about the world, cultures, and history through music. I am also passionate about providing opportunities for immigrant students (in my area many Latino students) who only speak or feel most comfortable speaking Spanish, and believe they have the right to the same programming as their peers, in whichever way makes them feel more comfortable. My hope with my education is to gain the knowledge and skills, to continue building those opportunities for the young folks in my community, to bridge the gap between those financially well-off or low-income, and to provide multilingual opportunities.

To convince a peer to attend college depends on the person. For myself, I can only speak to my educational experience. College is an opportunity to come together with different minds to learn and dissect content and learn from peers with different specialties and pockets of knowledge and experience than you do. Collectively by the end of the semester, between your professors, and your fellow students you walk out with way more knowledge about the world and your specialty than you expected walking in there. College is also a great way to learn who you are, what you are interested in, what you hate, and to grow as an individual and student in a supportive environment dedicated to growth and success. You have endless resources at the tips of your fingers in the libraries and your professors, and the connections you will make through your time there. If you are a student who didn't do well before in school or high school and think you do not have a chance of passing, there is so much possibility to turn that experience around. After graduating high school I graduated with either a 1.6 or 1.8GPA, and for the first year, I maintained a 4.0GPA. Covid made college a bit more difficult which dropped it, however, a 3.0 is still amazing, and if I was able to lift myself that much anyone can. It takes a community, and college provides just that. A community of smart individuals rooting for you to succeed and willing to help you get there if you reach out and express your worry, and take advantage of question time during lectures and office hours. College is a daunting idea when you don't know if you want to go, or if past experience with education has put a bad taste in your mouth, however even then, as one of those students, it has been the best experience of my life. I have made my community at my community college, and hope to continue that where I transfer. I have worked with a team of faculty, staff, and the college president to rewrite the structure and processes that the college use to approve programs and campus events and got to work with professionals and learn the inside and out of how colleges run, contracts and laws. Something I would not have gotten elsewhere. And other nameless opportunities that only college could provide me at this age. If you are worried, reach out to your local college, ask questions, see if you can meet a professor or watch a lecture. Ask about your options, majors, clubs, financial options, and scholarships. Hear them out, vet your options and go from there. It is exciting, and once you find somewhere that feels welcoming, you are bound to flourish into someone you never knew you were or could be.