I think that the internet has given us the opportunity to open up to the world and become more vulnerable with one another. One of the main causes of a poor mental health is when we feel alone. Happiness, at our core, often involves feeling like others care for us as much as we care for them. In my personal experience, having the support of others can be the difference between a successful day versus any other day. In attempt to make everybody feel seen my idea is to set up a website where people get to tell their stories. No comments, no names, no faces, just people and their experiences. I truly believe that having somewhere to vent about a bad day will help at least one person put it behind them and start new. In addition, people who get to randomly scroll and read the stories of others may not feel so alone. Listening to others is one of the most simple ways you can help someone feel seen. Recently this quote has been floating around, "To be loved, is to be seen." I believe that if we hold this quote close, and really start to listen to one another, it can make the world an improved place for us mentally.

In the search to find a college to further my education and give myself the best chance at a successful future, my sights fixated on an institution that was out of state. Though home was secure, I fell into it, I allowed myself to rest and become too comfortable. In high school I was never home, I was working, at practice, or with my friends; but even with all of the extracurriculars, I still found myself needing my own bed at the end of the night, depending on the comfort of the people around me to succeed. This comfortability turned into a type of fear. I often let the unease of a new place/task get to me, I could never explore by myself because I was terrified of the unknown, sometimes I still am. This scholarship will allow me to continue to explore the reason why I left home in the first place. Out of state tuition is something that I have to work at every chance that I get; and sometimes it's difficult to justify the purpose of the money and time spent. But every year that I consume in a new area, the more that my confidence grows. In a new place like this I am forced to get out of my comfort zone and do things by myself, something that I've struggled with since I was old enough to go places on my own. The second that my mom let go of my hand, I've been nervous to do things by myself. Even walking into a grocery store alone used to be a feat. But an out of state school has been just what I've needed to put myself in a position to evolve. In order to be successful in law you need to be independent, of course team work is important, but the ability to do things without the necessity of others is demanded; I can't hold the hand of someone else through my future law degree. This is why I choose to go out of state. I am committed to not only the betterment of myself, but the goals that future me wants to accomplish. I know that I cannot handle when I have to accomplish some things completely alone, not yet. This is the learning curve that is forced upon me by being so far away. I understand that none of this will be easy, but I developed the strength to walk away from everything that I found comfortable and find a new sort of comfort in being scared. I hope that being in a new place will make me stronger as an individual. Undergrad, as well as law school will not always be comfortable; in fact, I'm sure that it will mostly be uncomfortable. But I will learn to embrace everything that I used to run from and not rely on my mother's hand anymore. I want to walk into a room and command it on my own.

In the future I hope to have the opportunity to keep furthering my education and learning new things everyday. My dream career would be to work in the field of law, something that is always changing and evolving. As time goes on the need to understand the law and how we interpret it grows. As the Supreme Court continues to make decisions and politics become more and more controversial, the importance for law expands. In order to ensure that I have the opportunity to keep growing I decided to go to an out of state college so I can experience what the world has to offer. My family never had the extra funds to travel or even buy ourselves passports so that we might have the option. I knew that I wanted to leave my hometown for awhile, my mom, though she is my inspiration, stayed in her hometown because she was too scared to venture out; and I am forever grateful that she is giving me the opportunity that she never had. Out of state has always been the dream, but the tuition for out of state students continues to grow and become an obstacle. Even with the financial aid and scholarship applications, the debt continues to grow. I weight the pros and cons every chance I get; but I truly believe that this is where I'm meant to be. The opportunities of being in a busier place next to D.C. are too promising to give up. I truly believe that this is how I create a place for myself in the world after college. By going into law I am also putting myself at a disadvantage that I have to fight against until I graduate and practice. As a black female I am a minority in this field and sometimes that can cause people to look at me before they look at my qualifications. Assumptions are dangerous and I cannot change my skin color, but I can change my education level and continue to learn and become more and more qualified so that no one can doubt me. In the future I hope to not only create a space for myself in the world, but I hope to lead the way for my younger siblings and show them that it doesn't matter how we grew up compared to others, that all having a positive future takes is perseverance. I hold the burden of being the oldest sibling, though I love that they find me as an inspiration, it is terrifying to think that they look to me to succeed to know that they can as well. I understand that everything I do have a consequence and when it comes to my sibling I hope to be a positive influence and someone who can push them to become their prime selves.

Working during school, though difficult, is something that I've always taken pride in. The ability to time mange well from a young age is something that I'm going to treasure and appreciate for the rest of my life. From the age of 14 I've been looking for anyway that I could help my mom take care of the family. The second that I was old enough I've held a job. Started with babysitting since I already had a knack for taking care of my siblings; and then moved into retail and am currently looking to widen into something that's more aline with my future goals. Working throughout high school benefitted me more than I could've known before I got to college. My ability to be an honors student, a student athlete, support my mom at home, and hold a job taught me the importance of priorities. That I have to put myself and the betterment of both mine and my families futures before anything else. Not only have I been working to save up for a higher education but I've learned many valuable skills during my time. I'm currently a freshman in college and the things that I continue to learn from my retail jobs still hold importance in my everyday life. One of the most important skills I've acquired is the ability to hold a conversation with just about anybody. While working in commission based retail you're forced to go up to people and know what products you should show them within a few seconds of meeting them; this is a skill in of itself. To have the ability to read someone and understand them is a necessary skill that serves great purpose when speaking to new people while in the job market. I understand not only how to sell clothes, but also myself and my skills in the process. Working while in school is not a choice for me. I've adapted to the busy life style while maintaining my student athlete status in college. I have a plan, from the second I wake, to when I brush my teeth at night, every minute of the day has been planned to set myself up for success.

In the search to find a college to further my education and give myself the best chance at a successful future, my sights fixated on an institution that was out of state. Though home was secure, I fell into it, I allowed myself to rest and become too comfortable. In high school I was never home, I was working, at practice, or with my friends; but even with all of the extracurriculars, I still found myself needing my own bed at the end of the night, depending on the comfort of the people around me to succeed. This comfortability turned into a type of fear. I often let the unease of a new place/task get to me, I could never explore by myself because I was terrified of the unknown, sometimes I still am. This scholarship will allow me to continue to explore the reason why I left home in the first place. Out of state tuition is something that I have to work at every chance that I get; and sometimes it's difficult to justify the purpose of the money and time spent. But every year that I consume in a new aera, the more that my confidence grows. In a new place like this I am forced to get out of my comfort zone and do things by myself, something that I've struggled with since I was old enough to go places on my own. The second that my mom let go of my hand, I've been nervous to do things by myself. Even walking into a grocery store alone used to be a feat. But an out of state school has been just what I've needed to put myself in a position to evolve. In order to be successful in law you need to be independent, of course team work is important, but the ability to do things without the necessity of others is demanded; I can't hold the hand of someone else through my future law degree. This is why I choose to go out of state. I am committed to not only the betterment of myself, but the goals that future me wants to accomplish. I know that I cannot handle when I have to accomplish some things completely alone, not yet. This is the learning curve that is forced upon me by being so far away. I understand that none of this will be easy, but I developed the strength to walk away from everything that I found comfortable and find a new sort of comfort in being scared. I hope that being in a new place will make me stronger as an individual. Undergrad, as well as law school will not always be comfortable; in fact, I'm sure that it will mostly be uncomfortable. But I will learn to embrace everything that I used to run from and not rely on my mother's hand anymore. I want to walk into a room and command it on my own.

While I was growing up I lived in a predominately white area. I didn't have the opportunity for a diverse friend group and the only people of color I was exposed to were my siblings and my father, who wasn't the best example. In my youth I had such a negative light of what being black meant; I didn't see the pride in my skin color that I do now. I only saw the stereotypes that were placed on us by the people I was surrounded by. I felt uncomfortable in my own skin and I didn't know how to break free. But then, college applications became available and I began the search for my safe haven. I needed to attend a university where I would feel safe, comfortable, and wanted by the community, something that I never had in high school. I looked and looked until I found the school that I am currently attending today. George Mason University prided themselves on being the most diverse campus in Virginia, advertised it everywhere. I couldn't help but look more into it and then eventually I committed to the school. Had I finally found a place where I could build a sense of belonging? Not yet. Fitting in with the people that I felt I was missing all my life turned out to be more difficult than I had thought. The rude awakening of being on such a diverse campus after being surrounding by a white crowd my whole life was shocking; something that I was not prepared for. I once again didn't feel like I could fit in. I didn't know how to code switch into a black conversation because I had never had to before. I was called white washed, I didn't know how to hold a conversation and I felt more alone than ever. If I couldn't fit in here, then where was I meant to be? I stumbled over my words and I couldn't attend events held for the black student body because I was afraid of being judged. I was terrified of not being black enough. Throughout this semester I have quelled my fear of not fitting in. I've made friends that've made me realize there's no "right amount of black" that someone has to be to be accepted. Though, some part of me will always wonder if I'm saying the right things or if I have my hair done the right way; I have to be me the only way I know how. Of course how I grew up has an effect on me, but I have to learn to embrace my past and become excited for all of the new things I get to learn in my future, as well as the people I get to be surrounded by while I do it. I choose to be proud of my skin color and excited about my growing knowledge of both my culture and heritage.

I stare into the camera of my phone as I FaceTime my mom for the fourth time today. It's only 5pm, I was last on the phone with her only 2 hours ago; but that doesn't mean that I haven't lived an entire lifetime that I have to update her on since then. No matter how many times I call, no matter what she's doing, she always picks up. This mirrors how she's been throughout my entire life. She has always shown up for me. One of the hardest decisions that I've made in this lifetime was to go to college out of state. I think that I underestimated how comfortable home was when making the decision. Throughout the admissions process I was unsure, I wanted to bring new opportunity into my life, but I wasn't positive that I could handle being so far away. But then, I remembered what my mom always told me, that nothing comes easy. That if life isn't uncomfortable at times, then you're doing it wrong. Our moto has been to embrace the uncomfortable because the only way out of it, is through it. It was uncomfortable when my dad left, but we pushed through it. It was uncomfortable when she had to work 3 jobs to pay for my gymnastics classes, but she pushed through it. She inspires me everyday to understand that life is not supposed to be easy, but meaningful. I decided to double major in philosophy and criminology in hopes that it would prepare me to apply to law school in the coming years. My love of reading and writing comes from her; spending nights reading with me after a long shift was always at the top of her priority list. She taught me the importance of priorities, and that I should always show up for the people I care about. Now that I am old enough to have my own job and my own long, all day shifts, I'm not quite sure how she did it. But I am eternally grateful that she found the strength to put me first every chance she was given, and I am attempting to do the same. I'll never forget how she constantly cheered me on (and still continues to today). Showing up to every gymnastics meet, every musical and every school sponsored breakfast; however, it's the little things that I miss the most while I'm out of state during the school year. The ability to walk into her room unannounced and ask her for advice, the chance to smell her cooking from the bedroom that she helped me decorate. I am now confined to the daily FaceTime calls, to hear her support through the screen. But even through a camera her confidence in me shines bright. I am able to be where I am today because she raised me to believe that I can be. She still celebrates every good grade, every picture that I look good in. She is the reason for not only my smile, but my ability to thrive.