When growing up everyone is asked the same question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?'' Some kids say a doctor, an astronaut or even a fairy princess. For me I always said, "I just want to help people." I never knew what I wanted to do in life. But as long as I was able to help remove small weight off of anyone's shoulders, I would be making myself proud. My name is Jessica, and I am 19 years old. I grew up in a single parent home and lived with my grandmother for a good amount of time before moving across town. It was a low-income housing for senior citizens, so I grew up with older people. It was hard for me to socialize with other children because I found them hard to understand and relate to. Eventually I was able to maintain a somewhat normal relationship with children and became every active joining band in middle and high school. I currently am going to Jacksonville University in the spring and look forward to major in psychology. As I've gotten older, the thought of helping others was still something I wanted to do. I help others with homework, always being one of the last people at band practice helping put stuff away. I even volunteered at the assisted living facility at my mom's job. But the best way I have been able to help others is by listening to them. Being the one they can just let vent and get all their emotions out. I love and enjoy helping people become more health conscience about mental health. My junior year of high school during covid lockdown, my grandmother passed away from lung cancer and my mental health deteriorated severely. No one was really there to help me get the best coping mechanisms either. I even began to wonder if I would even be able to help others without helping myself. Fortunately, I was able to find hope and push through the dark clouds that surrounded me. Now I have an even more burning passion to help others find that moment of hope. Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel is a moment everyone has in their lifetime. Some just need a little guidance and encouragement to find their own. In short, I want to change people's lives for the better. To aid them in a more positive mental state than previous. To me mental health is so important in this society. If you don't have a good mental state, then you can't conquer your goals, your dreams, and be focused to reach them. I want more people to be able to smile with a purpose in life. To know that they are not alone and will always have someone in their corner rooting for them. I never got the proper help I needed to get through certain points in my life. And I don't want that for anyone else. Just remember there is always someone there for you. You may not know it but they are.

Growing up I have always been "encouraged" to go to college. You'll get more money with degree and do so much better in life than not" is what my family tells me constantly. When I got to high school it slowly was put on the back burner. I know the idea of helping other people in any way was always in mind but never knew if college was the way to go. But in 2020 when the pandemic started, I knew that college was a way for me to reach that goal sooner and start a long journey to become the person someone can cry on in the future. When the pandemic started, I was an upcoming junior in high school who was adjusting to virtual school. During this time my grandmother had passed away from lung cancer and caused a devastating loss in not only my life, but my family's lives. At that point, I didn't know what to emotionally. School was becoming more of a thought than an actual requirement of me to do since I became severely depressed. I was not able to receive any help to grieve and process that type of loss in life. Fortunately, I was able to pry myself out of that hole to be able to continue in my education and have a healthier mindset. And by the time senior year arrived, I fully understood and knew that college will be the best choice in life. My plan is to get a degree in clinical psychology to become a therapist or psychiatrist. I want to be able to help people get out of their emotional and mental struggles. To be able to be there for someone who needs that shoulder to cry on. Someone that they can vent to without any judgement. Being that one person for somebody to make them want to get their life together and be the person they were again once before. While in college I plan on working on better organization and completing tasks ahead of time without procrastinating. Getting higher education is a privilege by itself. Being able to achieve that goal is working on staying focus and persistent in one assignment before completing the next task. I am progressing by doing small objectives first like doing laundry or tidying my room and hoping to increase that capability from bigger tasks. In closing, going to a university or college is something very few people get to do. And when people do they try to make a difference in the world; And I want to do that. I want to be one of those people being able to help others and create a positive atmosphere for everyone. From doing this service I can better myself to be more organized and less procrastination.

Disney has been a household name for nearly a century bringing smiles all around the world. The many characters created have brought light upon so many cultures and communities. Growing up watching Disney, I always enjoyed being able to see characters I can relate to. One of my all-time favorite characters from Disney is Quincy from Little Einsteins. Not only because of his incredible gifts but the sweet personality he gives on screen will forever be in my heart. Quincy is a star in my eyes for a reason. Although the other characters Leo, June, and Annie have unique personalities that brings out each other, Quincy's stands out the most out of all. He is the most caring, compassionate, and motivating person on the show. Using his music power to help others when they need help and trying to serenade others to get them through sad times. And although the bad guys on the show try to slow him down by taking away his instruments, he always brings positive energy by continuing his journey and push through. One of the best things about Quincy is his musical capabilities. Him being able to play several different instruments and performing in an advanced stage for his age was so incredible for me to watch as a young kid and even now I still get blown away from him. I also loved how much he enjoyed explaining to others how to play music and interreact with them. Watching the show in my younger years inspired me to play the trumpet in middle and high school. At first, I thought it was difficult at first and almost gave up but remembering Quincy playing with a smile on his face I pushed through and have not let go of it since. Overall, Quincy will always be a character I adore for all time. His enthusiasm, encouragement, and musical talents is something I cherish forever. For him being one of the first African American characters on Disney to be debut as a genius in music, it inspired me to become involved with music in real life. I learn to appreciate artists and composers who create music for everyone to enjoy. And his time on screen will always be the turning point in not only my career but for others too.