If you asked me 5 years ago what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would only be able to give an anxious "I don't really know". I was confused about what I wanted to do, and what was interesting to me. It seemed like everyone around me had a goal while I was just trying to get to the next day. As I navigated through community college and tried out different classes I started to get worried I would never find my passion. Then I took a business class that had a topic all about marketing. Suddenly I was interested in learning more and I could feel myself becoming more and more intrigued by everything I was reading about. This passion for marketing came on quickly when I realized that marketing is more than just making an advertisement or selling something to a customer. Marketing is about making connections. It is about how you can connect small features of an advertisement or product to the consumer. I find it incredibly interesting to look at the drive behind consumer decisions and figure out what made them want to purchase something. Are they purchasing a purple dress because it's the top color of the year? Or will they see these pastel-colored sweaters and be drawn to buy one because it's getting closer to Easter? By placing yourself in the consumer's shoes, you can start to realize why they make the purchases they do. Additionally, I was drawn to the variety in marketing. There are so many different fields that you can be in, while still pursuing a career in marketing. When I started getting into marketing I wanted to be in a corporate setting for a big business. I was very interested in looking at retail companies and looking at how the layout of the store could be moved so it is more appealing to customers. However, I began to realize that this was not the only way that I could go with a marketing career. I have begun to dive deeper into social media marketing and look at how to market to a niche group of people online. You can take a brand and use the latest viral videos or jokes to make it more appealing to a younger audience. You can also use the latest social media platforms in order to reach a bigger audience while using older platforms to reach an older audience. The science of consumer decisions and the diversity of options to pursue are my main passions. The possibilities within marketing are endless. It's all about making the right connections.

I like to think everyone has something that sets them apart from the crowd; something that makes them feel like themselves. My unique attribute is my empathy. I feel things and connect with things very strongly. I would even say it is my "superpower". Sometimes having such big emotions can be seen as a downfall. People might see you as emotional or overdramatic. Yet I believe that it is my greatest power and is an important thing to have in such a crazy world. I use my empathy to not only better my own life, but also positively impact the people around me. Since I feel things so strongly, it gives me the ambition to make a change in the world. When I see things going wrong for someone or if something is going bad in my community, I want to help and make things right. Even if it does not directly affect me, it is still important to me that I help in any way that I can to make things better. I also use my empathy to push myself and try to change my community for the better. For example, I love to volunteer and do anything I can to see the people in my community get help and be happy. When I help others I am helping myself as well. It makes me incredibly happy to be able to help others and give what I can. A big enjoyment of mine is helping places in times of need. A lot of times I will come across a social media post that talks about a food pantry, animal shelter, or any other public help place that is running low on supplies and needs donations. I immediately think about what I can do to help and get a shopping list ready. It is always so fun to see the smiles on people's faces when you donate items that they have been needing. I like to think that if I have the means to help, then it is important that I do. Volunteering and helping stock community organizations is something that I hope I can do for my whole life. I know for a fact, that I will always feel a calling to use my strong emotions and empathy for good and help change someone's life. Everyone has an important attribute about them that makes them uniquely them. It is so important to use it in a way that will be impactful to your life and to those around you.

Creating routines is something that is so important to me, yet so also something that does not come naturally to me. This can make it very hard to keep my health up, as I need to be consistent in order to see progress and changes. In order to keep my health on track, I have incorporated my family and together we have made an informal routine. An informal routine, according to us, is when you consistently do something but not at the same exact time. Personally, I have been able to step it up a notch in my diet and physical being by keeping to this practice. A big change I made in my lifestyle has actually been a recent addition. I have started going to the gym, even if it's for a short time, just to get out and be active. Having a busy life and trying to balance everything is very difficult and I have found that the gym can be easily incorporated. For example, there are days when I feel burnt out and know that I have studying to do. The last thing I want to do on these days is a strenuous workout, so I modify it to fit what I need. I go to the gym and just do a shorter cardio workout so I can still be active and still have time to study when I get back. It is also the perfect pre-study option as it gets my brain more active. I like to put on my headphones, listen to an inspiring podcast, and be in my own little world for a little bit. By the time I am done, I feel refreshed and ready to get my schoolwork or studying done. By staying physically active, I am also keeping myself mentally active. Another thing I changed in my everyday life is making sure to take my vitamins. A huge challenge of mine is taking my vitamins at a set time. Somedays I am in a rush in the morning. I'm running late, worrying about what is going on that day, and I completely forget to grab my vitamins. The best solution I have found for this is to simply have grace for myself. I keep my vitamins in a spot that I am always in at my house and if I forget to take them in the morning, I simply take them whenever I remember. There are times when I will walk by the vitamins in the middle of the day and all of the sudden remember that I never took them in the morning, so. just take them then. Not only is having grace for myself helpful in this situation but it is helpful for lots of others too. I believe mental health is just as important as physical health. There are going to be days when my health is not exactly up to par and the healthiest thing I can do is have grace for myself. I remind myself why it is important to keep my health up and then move on with my day. There is no point in dwelling on things that I failed to do that day as it will only make things worse. Having more grace for myself has helped me to keep a healthy mindset and focus on what I can change to live an overall healthier life. As my life constantly changes and grows there will always be options to make. I strive each day to pick the healthiest option for myself, which will also affect me in a positive way.

The biggest factor in your success is you. This is a phrase said and accepted by many, especially during the college years. Although a problem arises when you can not push yourself to become successful. For some taking the smaller steps toward success is easy. It comes naturally to a lot of people and they know different ways that they can contribute to their own success. But what about when your own mind stops you from taking those steps? All my life I can remember dealing with mental health struggles. Even when I was young the anxiety was always present, it just presented itself in different ways. During middle school, it started to manifest itself into more physical symptoms. I would be going to the nurse daily for stomach aches and after multiple trips to the doctor, all I was told was that I had anxiety. This is where it began to hold me back. I was now having to worry about if my stomach would hurt and if I would feel okay in addition to going through the changes that happen during middle school. It was the start of a very rough road ahead. I began to dread going to school. I was asked so many times if something was happening at school or if I was being bullied, and in a way, I suppose I was. Unlike a typical bullying situation, I was being bullied by someone so near and dear to me. Someone I thought I knew everything about; myself. My brain told me that I needed to worry about school. Up until my sophomore year of High School I had terrible anxiety attacks as I got ready for school and I would beg to stay home. Having anxiety, especially as a teenager trying to figure out life, is hard. I wanted to like school again. I wanted to go to school and have fun with my friends and classmates and feel normal again. I felt like I was trapped in a room on fire and everyone was standing in the open doorway yelling at me to leave, but I couldn't. There was nothing physically blocking me, it was all in my head and my mind would not allow me to leave. I was trapped by nothing and everything at the same time. Eventually, I ended up leaving traditional schooling and switching to an online school. I was sad to leave my friends but I would still get to see them after school hours. This switch was one of the most influential decisions of my life. With this new school, I was in charge of my studies and time. I didn't feel trapped and confined to a classroom and I wasn't as anxious as I had been during regular school. I began to take control of my life again, something that was incredibly hard to do after feeling so helpless for so long. I made my own schedules and started to see a life beyond the anxiety. To this day I still wonder what would have happened if I didn't switch schools from my anxiety. Would my mental health have gotten even worse? Would I have been able to learn that anxiety doesn't have to control me? I still get anxious while attending college and it is a never-ending journey of learning about what works for me but I have a new look on life now. The struggles of mental health do not define me. I can battle anxiety and still be successful. I finally feel that I can contribute to my own success.