My name is Desi Tsacalis. I am 22 years old and about to graduate from St. Edward's University with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science. I have always been fascinated by the social and political structures that inform our realities. History has shown us countless times over that the way in which we organize our societies and systems of power has a direct impact on our collective suffering and or flourishing. When studying patterns of collective behaviors and phenomena, it becomes evidently clear that all of these social issues and political networks of power are connected. For a lot of people, this interconnectedness can be overwhelming and easier to deny than to dig deeper. For me, this very vastness and entanglement is what draws me in closer. The continuum of cause and effect is reflective of our very gray and fluid human nature. After all, we are studying human behavior, albeit on a far more broad scale than say a psychologist, but still. Political science at its core is an exploration into how and why we live the way we do. It asks us to implore our values and see if they stand congruent in both conception and reality. Throughout my time studying political science, I have found myself walking the line between theory and application. A genuinely pragmatic and grounded political scientist should be able to operate in both frameworks simultaneously. Too much theory lends itself to be vapid and out of touch and too little could lead to very biased selective thinking. The task itself is impossible to fully achieve as one person can never be fully unbiased and all knowing, but having the aspiration alone is just as important. In my life, I can see both frameworks existing all around me at all times. When I am riding the city bus, I think about how access to transit affects almost every facet of day to day life. In the same breath I begin to think about the theoretical implications of that truth: how do public goods and infrastructure dictate collective wellbeing? This duality and complexity exists around us always if we pay enough mind to notice. As political scientists, it is our job to do that very thing: notice. We are at a critical point in society today. Values of corporate greed and exploitation have impacted our political culture in a way that can no longer be ignored. We are seeing the effects: rising costs, climate change, heightened political tension, and the list goes on. The social sciences, but especially political science has a major role to play in combatting these issues we face today. We need to think both big and small: make change in our governments and in our neighborhoods. Again, this multifaceted approach is absolutely necessary in order to tackle problems as big as the ones we're facing. We each have the choice to be a part of the change, and I know where I stand. With my degree, passion, and expertise, I seek to change the world for the better. Through my writing, research, and advocacy, I hope to contribute meaningful change that empowers all.

Community is the cornerstone of wellbeing at both the individual and collective level. To truly engage with our communities, it is essential to contribute to the common good in the ways we can. For me, that manifests itself in my career path and how I choose to volunteer my time outside of work. I knew since I was a young girl that I wanted to be of service to the world. If I wasn't helping, I didn't want to do it. That's the same to this day. I am a political science major, finishing out my last year of undergrad. I have been focusing my studies on applied politics and nonprofit community-based work. I have worked for various local nonprofits that aid different causes such as environmental activism, workers's rights, sexual assault prevention, and immigration services. After graduation, I plan to continue working in the nonprofit world at an even greater capacity. I am not sure if I want to specialize in a certain humanitarian area over another quite yet, but for now, I am choosing to lead with my heart and work somewhere that does the same. Outside of work, I am active in local community activities and organizations. Most recently, I have been spending a lot of my time volunteering at my local community garden. Not only does going to the garden on the weekends help me with my wellness, but I also find purpose and joy in contributing to a collective effort such as a community garden. Whether it is through my vocation or my personal time, I spend most of my life centering mutual aid and community because that is the answer to a lot of the modern issues we face today. I want to help heal the world. I want to be a part of a peaceful revolution that seeks to spread love and deconstruct hate and barriers to care. Change is coming from every angle. We can all feel it. We are at a massive global turning point socially, politically, and economically. I believe it is time to stand up and be on the right side of history. We do that by leading with empathy and an ambition to be the generation that changes things. We do that by helping each other. There isn't much meaning to a life void of service and community. We are massively interdependent and social beings. We are meant to work together and build each other up. We are meant to collaborate and love and sing and dance and that doesn't happen without service.

My mind and I have been at odds most of my life. Mental illness was genetically guaranteed for me and is something I am still learning how to deal with today. Both sides of my family collectively suffer from just about every kind of mental illness. My hand was dealt to me when I was born and was cemented by my parent's behaviors and there was no escaping the stress and shame. Fortunately, I haven't suffered from some of the more severe illnesses that run in my family such as drug addiction and schizophrenia, however, I have dealt with my fair share of struggles with my holy trinity: ADHD, anxiety, and depression. I was diagnosed with these three mental disorders just two years ago at nineteen years old. Even though the diagnoses and prescriptions were new, I had been struggling all my life. Just because I wasn't determined on paper as mentally ill doesn't mean I was doing fine all these years. My intervention took almost all my life to happen. I could only start getting better when I was ready to love myself and be healthy, and for me, that requires medication, which requires a diagnosis. There is an undeniable discrepancy in the rate of diagnosis and treatment between white men and the rest of the human population. Because we live in a patriarchal society, mental health and psychological research has been primarily conducted with only white men in mind. This is why so many men with ADHD get diagnosed as young boys and most women with ADHD get a diagnosis well into adulthood. This discrepancy has to do with the stark difference between the social expectations put upon women and men. As girls, we are taught to bite our tongue when it comes to our pain and worry. This leads to internalization that makes it even harder to seek a point of acceptance and intervention. The people who don't get intervention as a child go to live on with the same struggles as those that do. The difference is that those of us who didn't have access to diagnosis and treatment at a younger age have been withheld from healing and getting better. In my case and many others, we go our life feeling these deep swells of emotion and shame and dread(or whatever other feeling we find ourselves feeling) and have no explanation. We just know something is wrong and nothing is changing. Often, it's getting worse. It took me reaching burnout and enduring a major depressive episode to go out on my own and seek professional help. It is the same for many young adults. We get to a breaking point before we ask for help. This shouldn't be the common reality for people like me. We should be able to find support and access to resources before real damage is done. That being said, It is just as important to remember it is never too late to get help. The day I chose to seek help was one of the most positive turning points in my life thus far. Because of my high genetic predisposition and childhood trauma, I have only just now begun to start my healing journey. But just because I am a beginner when it comes to wellness and self-love doesn't mean I deserve it any less. The same goes for all of us. Although I have endured a lot at the hands of my mental illness, it has given my heart the empathy and capacity to help others. We all suffer, but we have the power to choose whether to use that suffering as an instrument of love or hate. I choose to love and try every day to be the person for others that I always needed but never had. We have a duty to each other as we do to ourselves.

The relationship between my gender and my work has always been complicated. Politics is an inherently masculine field. I mean, there’s still never been a woman elected as president. I feel like I don’t need to say much more. Whether it’s going to a networking event, city hall, or the state capitol, comfort is the last thing I expect to feel. For a while, part of me assumed my feelings of unease would dissipate over time. But as I continue to progress and work different jobs in this field, the feeling of being unwelcome has stuck with me like gum in my hair or like a stain I just can’t get out. The parasitic otherness isn’t there because comfortability is impossible, however. It’s because these spaces were built for the same people they were built by. It’s the same people that have always been in charge: white men. Texas politics are virile, hierarchical, and aggressively ambitious to the point where “feminine” qualities like vulnerability and emotional intelligence are completely rejected. The constant competition and scarcity mindset that accompanies unchecked toxic masculinity leaves no space for diverse perspectives or community building. Lacking space for genuine connection makes it easier and easier to assign apathy as the natural state of being. When interpersonal support and compassion are viewed as weak, a waste of time, or unprofessional, we need to start looking in the mirror. We must realize that the performative hard shell of political professionalism is nothing but an excuse to reject what makes us beautifully human. Instead of letting the state of gender disparity in Texas keep me down, I choose to use it as motivation. That is why I work in politics. Because there is such a lack of support for women in Texas, we need as many women in Texas politics as possible. We must continue to push social norms until there is space for all of us. Our systems should be woven with all of our identities and practices, not just the ones we are used to seeing. It isn't fair and it is not easy, but that Is what I am called to do. The fight for gender equity is just one of many my generation needs to take on fearlessly. From climate change to the increasing wealth divide to homelessness, to the rise of anti-LGBTQIA+ propaganda, there is much to do. The only thing we can do is work from our hearts and use our power to take care of each other.