I hope that my day-to-day actions are encouraging to others because I believe in living the example that I would like to see around me. I hope to be a reflection of what others want to see and follow. I am honest with my words and my actions, I try my best to always speak up in moments where I may feel overwhelmed or unheard, but sometimes honesty can help someone other than yourself. I am patient, for I think we can easily get caught up in anger and react in ways that may be harmful to those around us. We can all benefit from being patient because sometimes we have no control over the things that happen in our life and patience can lead to flexibility and success. I aim to be helpful whenever and however I can be because we all struggle to ask for help even with the simplest things that until we get the help that is when we realize we needed it. And Finally I believe in always working with integrity, let always do things the right way because we want to and not because we get awarded to. It may not always be easy to follow through on these actions, but with self-awareness and intentionality, I aim to always encourage those around me.

Growing up my mother was the example of always giving back and helping out even though she was not asked to. I lived with so many cousins in my home because my mom took them in due to my aunts and uncles not being able to in those moments. At first, I did not understand why, but gradually over time I am happy to be surrounded by loved ones and I try to always do the same. Doing for others what they may not be able to, especially without being asked. I want to share the love I have for everyone, it might be a little idealist. However, I believe we must be the example we want to see in this world. Showing how to be loving, patient, compassionate, and vulnerable. Showing that it is not easy and how it may be easier to be impatient, angry, etc... I think it is important to show both sides of the coin when it comes to giving back, that sometimes it might not be what we want to do, but it helps our communities and uplifts others to be their better selves.

I am excited about currently learning to code as I pursue my degree in cybersecurity. It is exciting because I am seeing how programs work from the back end and eventually, I want to create some of my own. As well as working with security firms to create a safer online community for everyone, especially individuals who may not be as tech-savvy yet and children who may have access. I would like to know that we are all able to have equal access to technology and not be harassed by online trolls. Technology is a field that has so much potential for exponential growth, and it is enticing how changes are made by the second. I enjoy how engaging it is and at the same time connected with helping others.

My name is Christina Burke, and I am an international student from Jamaica. I came to study in the United States because I want to give back to my family and my communities. I am a first-generation high school and college graduate. My mother works very hard so that I could have achieved all that I have right now, and I want to change careers therefore I have returned to school but being an immigrant and continuously helping to provide for my family can sometimes be overwhelming and non-stop hard work. Hard work that I plan to use as I pursue my goals. If I was awarded this scholarship, I would put it towards my tuition as it would lessen the load of my financial worries and I can focus more on my studies and making an impact on my life as an example for my younger sister and cousins.

Live the way in which you would want to be treated, we all play integral parts to make this world function properly.

Mental health is too often overlooked, we think once we feel and look okay then we must be okay. That is not the case, there may be mental issues that we choose to ignore because it is not tangible and therefore not easily recognized so we keep on moving. I have been raised to not even think twice about my mental health, it was all about how we look on the outside. However, I have gradually learned a lot about what is mental health and how it affects the way in which we interact with each other and ourselves. Sometimes we overindulge in one thing because we think it brings us joy, however that may not always be the case, it may be that is how we are coping with a certain emotion. If we continue to keep going without properly accessing ourselves, how we feel, how are approach certain situations, how we work with others, how we internalize our happy and sad moments, we may not realize how important it is to understand “self”, meaning who we are in our solitude. Reflection is very important for self-growth, for if we do not know who we are, we may be more inclined to believe what others say about is, which is not always the nicest things. We must know ourselves, what we like, what we dislike and how we can have fun on our own and with others. To differentiate what brings us joy with ourselves makes a great difference as we are able to share with others this same feeling so that there is that mutual understanding and also, they can bring us said joy if possible. I plan to continue to understand who I am as an individual and how my actions and words impact those around me, for I think that no matter how small something may seem to us, we must truly grasp how it can affect those who are in our direct path and even those who are not in our direct path. We must share and spread our joy rather than the sad and negatives emotions/feelings we encounter. We must do what is good for the greater of the community. I hope to bring awareness of mental health worldwide by conversations, sharing with other my own stories and in turn hope they can share and grow from their own experiences. We must understand that in order to learn we must sometimes have to open up and be vulnerable for others to understand us and work alongside us. We are strong individuals, however, sometimes we need a strong support system.

My name is Christina Burke and growing up I was never aware of self-care, no one in my family had ever said anything of the sort. I was raised in a low socioeconomic status family in urban Jamaica and I was always told that education was the key to my success. What that really meant was that I would go to school from grade one to eleven and then work hard to complete our additional, but not mandatory grades twelve and thirteen. Afterward, you would go to college, if you could afford it. Get a decent job, have a family and then retire, it was very tv dreamlike. As I got older, meaning the end of high school I was realizing that it does not work that way and I found myself going to college and then working as a means to an end, all this time not taking care of myself. Not putting any interest in what that means. However, as I am an adult returning to school, the ways in which I practice self-care, is saying 'no' to friends because sometimes all I really need is time to myself to unwind, reflect and reboot, this allows me to process the things that have happened in my life, whether it was that day or prior. I ensure that I treat my body well, by eating healthy and exercising, that way my body is aligned with my mind. I also make time for both friends and family so I am still connected and we can take part in activities that bring us together. Allowing myself to practice my self-care routines helps and reminds me that I need to take breaks so that I do not burn out and I can always aim to put my best foot forward.

A growth mindset to me is being open-minded about your own potential. And the reason we have to be mindful as individuals is that we must understand that at the end of the day, any decision we made, derives solely from us. No matter what external influences we may be faced with, we get to internalize and make the ultimate choice in our lives. In saying all this, a growth mindset is one that does not allow for negative factors to impact our decision-making, but rather be open to the idea that there are endless possibilities. The word 'mindset' means how we have already trained ourselves, our minds, to think and do, and so we must understand that we are continuously learning and training our minds. Therefore if we acknowledge the fact that we are continuously learning, then what we have established is a growth mindset. For it one that is always open to the idea of learning and possibly even unlearning to make room for accuracy and accountability of own actions.