At the age of six, my family and I immigrated to America. We were refugees in a state that hates Immigrants. Ever since I first started speaking English, I would hear "go back to your country". Unlike my siblings, the constant bullying and tormenting got to me. Fighting and trying to ignore my tormentors didn't help. No matter how nice I was to them, they still wanted me gone. I begged my parents to allow me to go back to Africa, but it was too late because I was no longer a citizen. So I decided I was going to fake it until I make it. No matter the consequence. At the age of twelve, I was diagnosed with anxiety. I had many sleepless nights spent reading and watching crime shows. watching crime shows made me imagine how life would be if I could impact it. By the age of thirteen, I knew I wanted to be a lawyer. I researched the best strategies to become a successful lawyer. I started to ask myself, what is my reasoning for wanting to be a lawyer. at this point in my life, I was barely sleeping and pushing everyone away. I was afraid that the only reason I was choosing law was to make my family proud. At the end of the first semester of my senior year, I found I hadn't won any money in scholarships. I had decided maybe college wasn't for me. Until we had different people come to talk to us about careers after graduation. The one that stuck out the most for me was the national guard. It seemed like the best option for me. I joined the national guard in January 2020. not too long after covid 19 lockdown started. My quarantine was spent scrolling Twitter and binge-watching scandal and how to get away with murder. Having a way to pay for college made me feel as though my possibilities were endless. It was easy to choose political science because of my obsession with wanting to make the law work for everyone. by the time I came back from training for the military, the lies started to come out. All the money I was promised was an illusion. it was too late, I had already signed my life away. I still decided to go to school and use financial aid and get a job. that worked for one semester. until the military started taking more than they were giving. all my money went into school. I had nothing left to pay for my apartment. I asked the bank for a loan and I was denied. I was left broke, unable to pay for food or rent. I decided to ask my parents and friends for help and get more hours at work. this worked for a bit until I had to keep going to drill. I spent more money at drill than they were giving me. Being diagnosed with severe depression seemed like the universe was rubbing salt on the wounds. I went from eating less to not eating at all. Every day was a fight to stay alive. The only thing that kept me going was activism. marches and protests were my escape from my life. helping others was the only thing keeping me going. Activism saved my life. In 4 years I will be done with law school and will be a movement lawyer. I will fight for the rights of my people. If it wasn't for the people I helped, I would have given up on life a long time ago.

At the age of six, my family and I immigrated to America. We were refugees in a state that hates Immigrants. Ever since I first started speaking English, I would hear "go back to your country". Unlike my siblings, the constant bullying and tormenting got to me. Fighting and trying to ignore my tormentors didn't help. No matter how nice I was to them, they still wanted me gone. I begged my parents to allow me to go back to Africa, but it was too late because I was no longer a citizen. So I decided I was going to fake it until I make it. No matter the consequence. At the age of twelve, I was diagnosed with anxiety. I had many sleepless nights spent reading and watching crime shows. watching crime shows made me imagine how life would be if I could impact it. By the age of thirteen, I knew I wanted to be a lawyer. I researched the best strategies to become a successful lawyer. I started to ask myself, what is my reasoning for wanting to be a lawyer. at this point in my life, I was barely sleeping and pushing everyone away. I was afraid that the only reason I was choosing law was to make my family proud. At the end of the first semester of my senior year, I found I hadn't won any money in scholarships. I had decided maybe college wasn't for me. Until we had different people come to talk to us about careers after graduation. The one that stuck out the most for me was the national guard. It seemed like the best option for me. I joined the national guard in January 2020. not too long after covid 19 lockdown started. My quarantine was spent scrolling Twitter and binge-watching scandal and how to get away with murder. Having a way to pay for college made me feel as though my possibilities were endless. It was easy to choose political science because of my obsession with wanting to make the law work for everyone. by the time I came back from training for the military, the lies started to come out. All the money I was promised was an illusion. it was too late, I had already signed my life away. I still decided to go to school and use financial aid and get a job. that worked for one semester. until the military started taking more than they were giving. all my money went into school. I had nothing left to pay for my apartment. I asked the bank for a loan and I was denied. I was left broke, unable to pay for food or rent. I decided to ask my parents and friends for help and get more hours at work. this worked for a bit until I had to keep going to drill. I spent more money at drill than they were giving me. Being diagnosed with severe depression seemed like the universe was rubbing salt on the wounds. I went from eating less to not eating at all. Every day was a fight to stay alive. The only thing that kept me going was activism. marches and protests were my escape from my life. helping others was the only thing keeping me going. Activism saved my life. In 4 years I will be done with law school and will be a movement lawyer. I will fight for the rights of my people. If it wasn't for the people I helped, I would have given up on life a long time ago.

At the age of six, my family and I immigrated to America. We were refugees in a state that hates Immigrants. Ever since I first started speaking English, I would hear "go back to your country". Unlike my siblings, the constant bullying and tormenting got to me. Fighting and trying to ignore my tormentors didn't help. No matter how nice I was to them, they still wanted me gone. I begged my parents to allow me to go back to Africa, but it was too late because I was no longer a citizen. So I decided I was going to fake it until I make it. No matter the consequence. At the age of twelve, I was diagnosed with anxiety. I had many sleepless nights spent reading and watching crime shows. watching crime shows made me imagine how life would be if I could impact it. By the age of thirteen, I knew I wanted to be a lawyer. I researched the best strategies to become a successful lawyer. I started to ask myself, what is my reasoning for wanting to be a lawyer. at this point in my life, I was barely sleeping and pushing everyone away. I was afraid that the only reason I was choosing law was to make my family proud. At the end of the first semester of my senior year, I found I hadn't won any money in scholarships. I had decided maybe college wasn't for me. Until we had different people come to talk to us about careers after graduation. The one that stuck out the most for me was the national guard. It seemed like the best option for me. I joined the national guard in January 2020. not too long after covid 19 lockdown started. My quarantine was spent scrolling Twitter and binge-watching scandal and how to get away with murder. Having a way to pay for college made me feel as though my possibilities were endless. It was easy to choose political science because of my obsession with wanting to make the law work for everyone. by the time I came back from training for the military, the lies started to come out. All the money I was promised was an illusion. it was too late, I had already signed my life away. I still decided to go to school and use financial aid and get a job. that worked for one semester. until the military started taking more than they were giving. all my money went into school. I had nothing left to pay for my apartment. I asked the bank for a loan and I was denied. I was left broke, unable to pay for food or rent. I decided to ask my parents and friends for help and get more hours at work. this worked for a bit until I had to keep going to drill. I spent more money at drill than they were giving me. Being diagnosed with severe depression seemed like the universe was rubbing salt on the wounds. I went from eating less to not eating at all. Every day was a fight to stay alive. The only thing that kept me going was activism. marches and protests were my escape from my life. helping others was the only thing keeping me going. Activism saved my life. In 4 years I will be done with law school and will be a movement lawyer. I will fight for the rights of my people. If it wasn't for the people I helped, I would have given up on life a long time ago.

I joined the national guard in January 2020. not too long after covid 19 lockdown started. My quarantine was spent scrolling Twitter and binge-watching scandal and how to get away with murder. Having a way to pay for college made me feel as though my possibilities were endless. I looked into political science as a major. It was extremely easy to choose political science because of my obsession with wanting to make the law work for everyone. Political science is also the best major to prepare me for law school. by the time I came back from training for the military, the lies started to come out. All the money I was promised was an illusion. it was too late, I had already signed my life away. I still decided to go to school and use financial aid and get a job. that worked for one semester. until the military started taking more than they were giving. all my money went into school. I had nothing left to pay for my apartment. I asked the bank for a loan and I was denied. I was left broke, unable to pay for food or rent. I decided to ask my parents and friends for help and get more hours at work. this worked for a bit until I had to keep going to drill. Most of my money was spent on transportation and fast food. I spent more money at drill than they were giving me. Asking for a closer unit was not an option. Being diagnosed with severe depression seemed like the universe was rubbing salt on the wounds. I went from eating less to not eating at all. Every day was a fight to stay alive. The only thing that kept me going was activism and school. Marches and lectures were my escape from my life. helping others and studying was the only thing keeping me going. Through all my hardship schoolwork was the most consistent thing. School kept me grounded and sane. Had my personal life aligned with school, transferring would not be on the books for me. Since that was not the case, I decided to transfer. I am transferring due to my mental health and not having help getting to and from the military drill. I am also transferring because of monetary turmoil. I will be pursuing the same exact degree, and none of my academic goals have changed. The only difference is I will be studying at a different school.

Most people in the black community believe mental health is not real or that it is strictly for the wealthy white people of America. For many years people in the black community have endured mental health problems and have been too afraid to get the proper help. Most of the mental and physical trauma we face today was passed down to us from our ancestors. We need to heal right now so our children don't have to heal because of us. There's a reason why the younger generation tends to suffer more from mental illness than the generation before them. The generations before us went through slavery, jim crow, civil rights era without taking the time to unpack it all. Leaving the generations to come to deal with all that and some. If we as a community continue to ignore the way that all we had to overcome has affected us mentally there will be no one left that has the strength to fight against the oppression we face for looking the way we do. My mom didn't accept her mental illness until recently when she had a miscarriage and she had the worst mental breakdown ever. Her having grasped the seriousness of having Depression has made her way more understanding, but it left me way more guarded towards her. It's hard to look at her in the face when she never took me seriously when I begged her to. she cost me so many missed experiences with a therapist that tried to help, and with friends that just wanted the best for me. Having kids scares me so much because of how bad mental illness is seen in the black community. When my grandma found out my mom was going to therapy she flipped and basically scolded her. She told my mom that she was incompetent and a bad mother. My mom took a step back from my grandmother to try and stay true to herself and to the process she started. The fact that so many people in our community think the way my grandma does will be our downfall. For us to Heal and be better as a community we need to remove the stigma that having mental health problems makes you less than anyone else. The truth of the matter is black people are more likely to have a mental health problem but less likely to be diagnosed.

Most of the mental and physical trauma we face today was passed down to us from our ancestors. We need to heal right now so our children don't have to heal because of us. There's a reason why the younger generation tends to suffer more from mental illness than the generation before them. As a first-generation college student and an immigrant, it is hard for me to worry about future generations when I can't even help myself because of how scared I am to accept that I suffer from ADHD. when I was younger I would get bad panic attacks and when I would ask my mom about it she would say it happens to everyone. seeing your mom have depressive episodes really messes up a child, especially if you think it's a normal thing. My mom didn't accept her mental illness until recently when she had a miscarriage and she had the worst mental breakdown ever. Her having grasped the seriousness of having Depression has made her way more understanding, but it left me way more guarded towards her. It's hard to look at her in the face when she took me seriously when I begged her to. she cost me so many missed experiences with a therapist that tried to help, and with friends that just wanted the best for me. My mom is the reason why I don't think I want kids. Having kids scares me so much because of how bad mental illness is seen in the African community. When my grandma found out my mom was going to therapy she flipped and basically scolded her. She told my mom that she was incompetent and a bad mother. My mom took a step back from my grandmother to try and stay true to herself and to the process she started. Although my mother and Is relationship isn't the best, it's definitely healthier than it was when I was growing. The respect I have for my mother today is something I want my kids to have for me. My mom inspired me to give therapy another try and to cherish the strong bonds I have. I'm still trying to come to terms with having ADHD. Having my mom in my corner makes it seem like an easier battle. If I ever decide to have kids, I know what kind of mother I want to be. I thank my mother for all she has done for me.

In January 2020 I made the scariest decision I've ever had to make in my life. I decided to enlist in the military. if you had told me a few years ago that I'd become a soldier I would've called you crazy. Being a soldier was never part of the plan but it has brought me so much joy and strength. It showed me that I can do whatever I put my mind to and that I have the power to choose my own path.

Growing up I was bullied because I was dark skin and was the only black girl in my school that wore their natural 4c hair. I watch a lot of my male cousins be wrongfully imprisoned for the simple fact that they were black men in America. My black experience has been me educating myself on my people so that I may use the anger of my ancestors to fuel my desire to want to reform the government through politics and social sciences. I am currently a sophomore political science major at the university of texas state. I plan on going into law and eventually running for governor then senate. In recent years I have tried to attend as many marches and lectures for BLM as possible and I plan on using the information I learned along the way to make future generations of black girls never allow anyone makes them feel like they cant achieve greatness and that they need to be bound to perform to succeed. I want more black people to want to be in systems of power and to own big corps. I want to help break the stigma that black women are meant to be entertainers and that we have to be inferior to men and other groups of women. I want black women to be heard and not need other people's voices for our issues to be heard. I want to help break the barriers that were put in place to make us look less than all other groups in the world.

I immigrated to America with my family when I was six years old. From the beginning, I felt like I had to fight harder than everyone in everything I did, from academics to feeling socially and culturally accepted by my peers and my teachers. So I found escapes in different things such as Reading, Writing, and extracurricular activities. The one thing that has kept me sane through it all was my need and strife to help my family accomplish their American dream. From poetry to plays, I've written them all. Since I can remember, writing has been a crucial part of my identity. From the moment I learned how to read, I always had my nose in a book. I would read so frequently that I excelled at a quicker rate than my peers at a younger age. I remember reading at a 7th grade level in 4th grade. I joined a bunch of reading-based clubs throughout my pre-high school career, all this to ensure that I excelled in the English language and that nothing could get in my way of making my family proud. My family taught me that the only way to succeed in life is to go to school and welcome all people with open arms regardless of background, so it came as a shock to me when I was constantly tormented for not being born in America. The constant bullying led to psychological problems that I still struggle with til this day. thankfully I had my family and my religion as a tether to keep me vigilant against the ignorant kids and adults that made it their life mission to remind me that I am different. I was raised in a household with seven other siblings. Which made it extremely difficult to not be family orientated. We are also all exceptionally attention-seeking and competitive. We all have the same goal of being billionaires, retiring our parents, and ensuring that our kids never have to struggle the way we did when we were growing up. In conclusion, securing my family's future and ensuring generational wealth is my greatest inspiration in life, and I am propelled by my past and my strong desire to succeed. The only thing those bullies accomplished was fueling my need to succeed even more. In a way, I am honored to have been treated that way because it shows that the evilness of another towards you does not have to be your business.

Mental illness has been with me for as long as I can remember. Everyone that has promised to be there for me has disappointed me up until him. I owe him my life. If it wasn't for my everything, I have no idea if I would still be in this world. My life is filled with abuse and abandonment. All the friends I made along the way used me for my kindness and the desire I have to help people. I have a hard time trusting people because all the people I trusted including family and friends have either betrayed me or just stopped caring about me. When I first met my everything I was so broken and didn't see the point in anything. From the moment I met him, he became a light in a dark work that just kept on getting darker. I tried everything I could to sabotage our friendship but he just kept on pushing. He would always check up on me and make sure life hadn't gotten the best of me. It was such a weird feeling because I never had anyone that made sure I was okay in every way. I don't know how I got lucky enough to be with someone so amazing. What I do know is that I will do everything I can to ensure that our future together is filled with everything we can possibly imagine. I will personally make sure that all of our dreams come true because if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be able to dream. I would not be able to wake up every day excited for what it has in store. Daniel is my best friend, family, and the love of my life. He is the reason I want to be the best me that I can be. Daniel makes life worth living. There are no words that can describe how much I love him. I want to make him feel as safe and love as he makes me feel. My love for him will always reign supreme to everything else.

I immigrated to America with my family when I was six years old. From the beginning, I felt like I had to fight harder than everyone in everything I did, from academics to feeling socially and culturally accepted by my peers and my teachers. So I found escapes in different things such as Reading, Writing, and extracurricular activities. The one thing that has kept me sane through it all was my need and strife to help my family accomplish their American dream. From poetry to plays, I've written them all. Since I can remember, writing has been a crucial part of my identity. From the moment I learned how to read, I always had my nose in a book. I would read so frequently that I excelled at a quicker rate than my peers at a younger age. I remember reading at a 7th grade level in 4th grade. I joined a bunch of reading-based clubs throughout my pre-high school career, all this to ensure that I excelled in the English language and that nothing could get in my way of making my family proud. I was raised in a household with seven other siblings. Which made it extremely difficult to not be family orientated. We are also all exceptionally attention-seeking and competitive. We all have the same goal of being billionaires, retiring our parents, and ensuring that our kids never have to struggle the way we did when we were growing up. In conclusion, securing my family's future and ensuring generational wealth is my greatest inspiration in life, and I am propelled by my past and my strong desire to succeed.