What sets Sabrina Carpenter apart from others in the industry is her playful energy and witty lyricism, which make her songs feel both lighthearted and deeply relatable. Both her tracks and her energy demonstrate her confidence and show the audience that you can have both fun and powerful pop lyrics. While other artists also showcase this, Sabrina Carpenter is uniquely herself, making it easy to be a fan. As a young adult, it's also inspiring to see someone of a similar age finally succeed after putting in a lot of effort over a long period. While she is in an environment that can help her grow and build her success more easily, it is also a double-edged sword that can make the industry cutthroat and ruthless when trying to stand out. Again, returning to her artistry, it is unapologetically fun, which in turn shows her authenticity in wanting to showcase tones that catch the audience's attention. This fun-loving approach doesn't diminish her seriousness as an artist; it enhances it. By leaning into her personality, she has created a brand that feels fresh and empowering. She shows that recognition in the music industry doesn't only come from dramatic vulnerability; it can also come from celebrating joy. Overall, Sabrina Carpenter reminds us that fun is not frivolous; it's a vital form of expression, and her success demonstrates that audiences are ready to celebrate it.

Taylor Swift released her self-titled debut album in 2006 at just 16 years old. What makes this record uniquely moving is its raw honesty, which highlights the album's emotional significance. Songs like "Tim McGraw" and "Teardrops on My Guitar" are filled with the insecurities, hopes, and heartbreaks of adolescence. Unlike her later albums, which feature refined storytelling and layered production, this first effort feels like a diary set to music. The vulnerability is apparent. Swift was not yet a global superstar but a teenager navigating crushes, rejection, and the desire for recognition. The album resonates because Swift's voice is unfiltered and sincere. She sings about unrequited love, fleeting high school moments, and the ache of being overlooked. These themes are universal, but her youthful honesty makes them especially touching. While later albums like Red or Folklore explore heartbreak and introspection with more maturity, the debut album's strength lies in its simplicity. It's the sound of someone still figuring out who she is, and that openness creates a deep emotional bond with listeners. Swift's background adds to the album's power. She moved to Nashville at 14 to pursue music, inspired by her grandmother and country legends like Dolly Parton and Patsy Cline. By 16, she had poured her teenage experiences into songs that felt personal and relatable. This makes the album feel like a brave act of vulnerability, a young girl daring to share her private feelings with the world. That courage is what makes it moving; it's not just music but a testament to youthful authenticity. While later albums show Swift's growth as a master storyteller, her debut remains unique in its rawness. Later works are polished, strategic, and layered with metaphors. Compared to that, the debut is direct and unfiltered. It's the only album on which Swift was still a teenager, and that alone gives it a kind of innocence and fragility that can't be replicated. It's moving because it's imperfect, like a first attempt at turning private feelings into public art. Taylor Swift's debut album stands out as her most moving work because it captures the raw vulnerability of youth. It's a record of first heartbreaks, first dreams, and first efforts at self-expression. While her later albums may be more polished, none have the same raw emotional impact. In its simplicity and sincerity, the debut album reminds us of the universal power of vulnerability and why it has remained unforgettable throughout her career.

Mental health is a fundamental part of life; it shapes identity, values, and goals. My personal and professional experiences with mental health have profoundly influenced how I see resilience, empathy, and systemic responsibility. These experiences have not only altered my beliefs but also improved my relationships and steered my career toward advocacy, fairness, and reform. Personally, navigating mental health challenges has taught me that strength isn't the absence of struggle but the ability to face it honestly. Vulnerability has become a core part of my belief system, seen as a source of connection rather than weakness. These personal experiences have deepened my empathy, helping me look beyond surface behaviors and recognize the unseen battles others face. This commitment to compassion now guides my approach in both personal and professional interactions. Additionally, witnessing the stigma and systemic barriers surrounding mental health has continually strengthened my belief that equity must be central to any care system. I think institutions should prioritize survivor-centered and inclusive approaches, making sure no one is marginalized because of their mental health status. In professional settings, my awareness of mental health dynamics has made me more intentional in building trust. I strive to create environments where colleagues and stakeholders feel safe to share concerns without fear of judgment. My mental health experiences have enhanced my ability to mentor others with patience and understanding. I recognize the importance of balancing productivity with well-being, which fosters stronger collaborative relationships. From a professional perspective, I see how mental health intersects with policy, advocacy, and institutional accountability. This view helps me engage stakeholders with sensitivity, ensuring reforms are both effective and humane. My career ambitions are deeply rooted in advancing policies that prioritize mental health and survivor-centered approaches. I aim to dismantle institutional barriers that sustain inequality and replace them with transparent, accountable systems. My personal experiences with mental health have motivated me to pursue a career blending public health and strategic communication. I want to craft stories that reduce stigma around mental health, amplify marginalized voices, and influence policy on a larger scale. Ultimately, my professional journey is driven by the belief that mental health is connected to justice and inclusion. I envision a career dedicated to systemic change, where evidence-based advocacy and empathetic leadership work together to create lasting impact. Overall, my experiences with mental health, both personal and professional, have been transformative. They have shaped a belief system rooted in resilience, empathy, and equity. They influence how I build relationships, emphasizing trust, compassion, and collaboration. And they guide my career objectives, inspiring me toward advocacy, public health, and institutional accountability. Mental health isn't just a chapter in my story; it’s the lens through which I see the world and the compass guiding my pursuit of justice and systemic change.

My name is Hannah Bershing, and I am originally from Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I recently earned a Master of Business Administration and a Public Policy Graduate Certificate from Michigan Technological University. With my degrees completed, I am ready to take the next step in my career, apply my new skills, and build on my existing knowledge and expertise. In addition to those two graduate degrees, I have a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Communications. You might wonder how all these degrees connect, but I've found they work well together for a role in public health. Public health has always been more than a career to me; it is a calling rooted in the belief that healthier communities lead to stronger, more equitable societies. My academic background and professional experiences have allowed me to engage deeply with the complexities of health systems, policy reform, and community advocacy. Working in this field has sharpened my ability to analyze institutional frameworks, balance ethical and operational considerations, and develop strategies that prioritize survivor-centered, equity-driven outcomes. Every project I've taken on has strengthened my belief that public health is not just about managing disease but about creating environments where individuals and communities can thrive. In my current role, I focus on synthesizing complex policy frameworks, conducting cost-benefit analyses, and mapping stakeholder perspectives to ensure that institutional decisions are both evidence-based and ethically sound. These tasks have taught me the importance of transparency in methodology and the need to include diverse voices in public health decision-making. Whether I'm adapting technical content for advocacy campaigns or advising on institutional reforms, I aim to bridge the gap between theory and practice, ensuring public health initiatives are grounded in both data and lived experience. Looking forward, I am committed to continuing in this field, expanding my expertise, and contributing to systemic change. Public health is evolving rapidly, with new challenges emerging around food systems, youth services, and institutional accountability. I want to stay at the forefront of these issues, using advanced decision-making tools and strategic communication to drive reforms that are sustainable and just. My long-term goal is to strengthen evidence-based advocacy, ensuring that public health remains a discipline that empowers communities rather than imposes solutions on them. Equally important to me is the desire to return home and serve as a public health professional in my community. The values that shaped my early life still inspire my work, and I believe that returning with my skills would allow me to make a meaningful and personal impact. My hometown, like many others, faces unique challenges in health equity, access, and accountability. By returning, I hope to apply what I've learned in policy analysis and stakeholder engagement to improve local institutions and health outcomes, and to ensure that public health efforts reflect the needs and hopes of the community. Ultimately, my journey in public health is guided by a commitment to justice, inclusion, and evidence-based reform. Whether working on national policies or supporting local initiatives, I remain dedicated to advancing the field in ways that honor both the science of public health and the humanity of the communities it serves.

When I think of fall, I think of the vibrant color of the leaves, crisp morning air, bonfires, and pumpkin-spiced lattes. Fall is the season that brings out all the cozy "feels." Universally, we are all pulling out our layers and preparing for the colder months after the warm season. Many people have staples each season that connect them to the elements and each other. As I look forward to the fall weather, there are certain staples I like to include that bring me closer to the season of gratitude and including "hygge" into my surroundings. Hygge is a Finnish term for making your surroundings cozy and peaceful. In the summertime, I am often outdoors and do not spend as much time inside, but as the cooler weather becomes more consistent, I migrate inside and, with that, want to make my living and work spaces more personalized and inviting. This includes pulling out the blankets, adding warm colors to spaces, opening up candles, and dusting off some feel-good recipes. This process can look different for others as it really depends on personal preference and what others need to cultivate or update their spaces. As someone from the Midwest who gets all four seasons, we look forward to those home-cooked meals that bring us together. My college roommate always put together a Russian tea mix at the start of fall and would sip it in the evenings doing homework. Alternatively, my sister and I will often pull out our hot chocolate or pumpkin-spiced latte mixes for an evening treat. While we live in an area that is off the beaten path and as far north in Michigan as you can essentially go, we don't have as many "big city" luxuries, such as Starbucks around the corner or TjMaxx across the street. So, when we do find ourselves in a town with a little more to offer, you know where one of our must-stops is. With such a simple pleasure of a drink to bring joy and spark happy memories, it is something special. It brings my sister and I together for a shared interest that we can, in turn, share with the rest of our family and friends. Just a drink can bring together a community in a time of change. I am so glad to be able to share this tradition with others - friends and strangers and be grateful for the simple pleasures in life that can alter a mood or an afternoon. Traditions can bring us together in the most beautiful ways - by enjoying things together and making memories that will last a lifetime.

@hbershin

I'm going to sound unoriginal by saying this, but my favorite tech invention of the last 10 years is smartphones. It does get better though if you continue on reading you'll see that my statement is not as unoriginal as it sounds. While smartphones are great, they have paved the way for a lot of really unique, fun, and helpful applications for users. If you want to play Angry Birds and also see what's blowing up on Twitter all with a few taps, it is now possible. You can also chat with a licensed psychologist just by downloading an app. This has opened up the world of therapy to be more accessible and helping to lessen astigmatism. Instead of scheduling out 60-90 minutes in your day, you can text your therapist and no one will know. Part of the stigma is being a person who needs help and when you feel like you have to lie about where you were on Tuesday at 4:00 pm, it can be mentally taxing. With a society that's still slowly understanding that it's okay to seek help and in fact more powerful to do so, those who are seeking therapy feel like outcasts or feel like they have to hide it. Having the ability to have a more private conversation with an array of therapists (your pick), gives people the opportunity to help themselves without their family or coworkers potentially judging them. It also gives people who have a lack of mental health resources the ability to still seek help. My previous roommate loved the app BetterHelp, because she was able to get help in a community with only three psychologists who were already severely overworked. Up until this past spring, I had no idea what I wanted to do after graduation. I'm not ready to continue onto grad school, but I would still like to use my degree and gain experience within the fields of psychology. After learning about apps like BetterHelp and other online resources, I have grown quite interested in doing more in this realm. I may not be able to practice psychology with an undergraduate degree, but I can work with a company that is cutting edge and taking mental health resources to the next level. Being an individual with anxiety and depression, I understand how hard it is to talk to someone face to face. I also understand having little to no resources available coming from a small town far away from larger metropolitan areas. Being able to use the technological device that is essentially glued to my hip to now have access to resources that can be life-changing is amazing. While I personally don't use any of the apps or websites out there currently, I have seen it help someone who was struggling during a pandemic and had nowhere to go. I want to be able to continue to better these resources and provide more to those who want to use this option. Eventually, I may continue on with my schooling to become a licensed psychologist, but in the meantime I want to help behind the scenes with the success of these new saving graces.

If you would have asked me this question a few years ago, I would not have an answer for you. However, after traveling back home to Seattle for a visit I stumbled across the work of Dale Chihuly. Breathtaking, was the first word that came to my mind when I went to his exhibit near the Space Needle. Known as an advocate, making art accessible to all is just one reason to follow his works, but to just look at the detail, size, and creation of his works speaks volumes.