My love for animals has always been strong when I look back to my youth. I would pretend I was Snow White and could sing to make animals flock to me. Every pet we have owned would be my best friend and I volunteered to clean them and take care of their needs. Though I was not able to do everything when it came to taking care of a pet, I still aided and watched my parents when they did it. We have had fish, frogs, turtles, cats, and a dog. All of which I gave the most love and care to out of the rest of my family. That is how I knew I wanted to work with animals. Becoming a veterinarian has been a dream of mine and in eighth grade, I curated a plan. During that time, my family and I lived in Chicago and I wanted to attend the agricultural high school that was there to get a jump start. However, we moved out of the city and I was unable to go to that school. I did not let that stop me though, I worked hard in my science classes and continued to do my research. The second part of my plan was to start my college education at FAMU because they are an agricultural school, but that changed with the pandemic. Once the pandemic hit, motivation loss caused me to think that my dream was not achievable. I switched my plan to psychology but recently realized that becoming a veterinarian is what I am meant to do. I changed my major to biology and got a job at the Humane Society here in Memphis TN. Just like in eighth grade, I curated a plan and I am sticking to it this time. Once I graduate with my bachelor's in biology, I intend to apply to the University of Illinois and Texas A&M to get my DVM. As I work on my education, I will volunteer to work with animals and even plan to become a pet groomer. My love for animals and taking care of them has never disappeared and continues to grow as I regain my passion. One last reason is that my son, our cat Mikey, has cancer. That broke me to learn and I often wonder if I could have figured it out sooner if I was taking my passion seriously.

Being a student has always been a defining part of my identity, and I took pride in being known as a great student. However, striving to do my best and stay at the top caused me to burn out and lose motivation after my freshman year of high school. I have been trying to regain that motivation over these last few years. Not only has that been a problem, I consistently changed what I wanted to do and the reality of paying for college, caused me to lose motivation as well. The mental struggle has been quite a battle for me and I am still working on it. Even though I have dealt with and am still dealing with those challenges and struggles, I push myself to keep improving. To not only become a better student, but a person as well. My academic drive has been up and down these past years, mainly because of the pandemic and my family moving to different houses and states. The stressors of life are overwhelming and hit me hard early in my school years. I never had a concrete idea of who I wanted to be and what I wanted to do in life. I have been through many dreams such as being a dancer, singer, actor, activist, veterinarian, or therapist. However, veterinary science and dance have been the only two interests that have remained constant. I came to the University of Memphis as a Psychology major and eventually added dance as my minor. However, as this first semester ended, I realized that psychology is not what I want to do. Therefore, I have decided to go back to my initial plan and major in Veterinary science, intending to become a veterinarian. I have always been a lover of animals and knowing that I can help them is what drives me. Dance remains a passion of mine, and I would love to pursue it as a side job, with the hopes of becoming a dance choreographer or an instructor in a studio. By doing that I can inspire others to express themselves through dance, as that is my main reason for why I love dancing. My family’s household income has been fluctuating up and down for the past two years. We moved here from Chicago and my parents had to find new jobs. My parents have switched between being the sole providers as they went through many different employments to get to where they are now. Our yearly household income is not bad, but with expenses such as mortgage, car notes, debt, groceries, and taxes, there is not much left. Meaning they are not able to easily pay for my tuition. We are mostly dependent on financial aid and scholarships to pay for my education. The aid I receive is not much and no matter how many scholarships I apply to, the awards do not fall out of the sky. My dream of becoming a veterinarian and owning a Vet clinic can only be done if I can complete my education. That is only possible with financial aid.

Some refrain from watching One Piece because of its longevity and the commitment it takes to watch and/or read through the series, but I am not one of those people. During my junior year of high school, I had a bunch of time on my hands, so I took it upon myself to get a VIZ Media subscription. I started reading a bunch of manga, such as Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia, and Demon Slayer. I had already watched the episodes that were released and was just catching up in the manga. I wanted more to read. That is when I decided to read One Piece. One thing about me, I am a fast reader, so I knew that I would be able to read it faster than I could watch it and that is exactly what I did. I was hooked off the first chapter and that grew my interest in the series. After four months, I had read all the chapters that were released. Yes, I read one thousand-plus chapters in four months. I surprised myself. What kept me interested was the adventure-packed storyline and the complexities of each character. I enjoyed seeing each member of the Straw Hat Crew grow to be their better selves and have continuous support for each other. The way that they defeat villains is a cliche, but knowing that they will end up victorious no matter what makes me enjoy the story even more. I have taken a slight break from reading, so the new chapters can stack up which will give me more to read. While I wait, I am watching the anime and the live-action. I love both and feel like they interpret the manga in different ways. One Piece is a time consuming watch and read, but it is worth it.

During my Sophomore year, I became interested in learning about the human mind and why we do certain things. It was during the peak of the pandemic and my family had lost too many people, to health and mental battles. My mental health started to decline without me even realizing it. I became irritable and tired, I lost my appetite, and my enthusiastic views about life disappeared. I didn’t want to believe that I was depressed, mainly because of the stigma it has in the Black community. I was scared that if I mentioned it, I wouldn’t get taken seriously since my life was “good” and I “had nothing to be sad about”. I believed it too. I thought there were more important things to worry about than how I felt and that it was just a phase. The gloomy feeling of uncertainty stayed with me for a long time, but after suppressing it, I finally decided to take my mental health seriously. I started researching depression and read stories about people who felt the same way I did. I wanted to know if they “cured” themselves of it and how I could do the same. However, I slowly realized that depression isn’t some curable disease. It’s a mental health issue that can’t be fixed with a snap of a finger. It takes time. You have to be willing to get better. I changed my diet, journaled, wrote stories, and used distractions like dance, work, and anime in hopes of bettering myself. I did everything but the one thing that might’ve helped me improve. See a therapist. I’ve since gotten the courage to mention it to my parents, but to no surprise, they doubted I needed one because I seemed happy and had everything I wanted. Getting better on my own was the best option. As I worked on myself, my interest in Psychology grew. I transferred to a new school and took the Psychology course they have. By the end of my Junior year, I knew I wanted to study it in college. I aspire to use my experience with mental health and the knowledge I have and will continue to gain, to help people. Especially young Black teens who might go through the same thing I did. Becoming a therapist is the best way that I can do that. Dance was the most effective form of healing for me. When I dance, it feels like I’m in a different world where it’s just me and the music. If my body wasn’t sore, I could dance for hours. I had my happiest years when I was on that dance team. Dance has helped me remain positive in one of the darkest times of my life. I danced to distract myself. Dance gave me the freedom to express how I felt through my movement. It was therapeutic for me to use my body to release my feelings and emotions. I can’t ever see myself getting tired of dancing. Even though I’m not on a team now, I still find ways to do it. I participate in Zumba and have virtual dance parties with my sister. I intend to bring my passion to college with me. Maybe I’ll host my own Zumba class or be the coach of a dance team. I could even incorporate it into my psychology career and offer dance therapy. I like the idea of using something that helped me in a time of need to help others. Being able to incorporate something I love into my everyday life is what makes dance so meaningful to me.

Change is like my childhood friend. It has stuck beside me and shown me new experiences. Good and bad. Which caused me to have a love-hate relationship with it. The times I enjoyed spending with Change are moments when I met new friends, got a new job with better benefits, and grew into a better person. However, the most memorable moments are the bad ones. When four family members passed on in two-three years. The pain and anger I felt made me scream and curse at Change. It had me staying up for hours crying and asking the walls why. Why did they have to leave? Why now? Why did they not have more time? As much as I wanted answers, I knew I would not get them. I did not want to be friends with Change anymore. I was ready to stop it in its tracks and take control of my own life. How could I prevent death? It is an everyday occurrence and I was nothing but a teenager with newly gained anger issues. I couldn't do a thing. That realization made me even angrier. When you combine lost hope and motivation with anger, you get depression. I ditched Change and became best friends with my new defining qualities. No one knew. I hid my emotions from my family because I did not feel I was worthy of feeling that way. On the surface, they saw a happy girl who did not have difficulty dealing with grief. If only I told them how I felt. I experienced thoughts of wanting to leave, but I never took action. I am thankful for that. Not only did I hurt myself mentally, but I also hurt others by becoming cold. I distanced myself from friends and interacted with my family only if necessary. After spending those couple of years running on nothing but anger, I burnt out. I realized that I need to allow myself to grieve naturally and heal. I learned that the pain and joy that Change brings should be embraced. We should be able to express the emotions that Change causes and seek guidance from others. That is what allows us to grow. The attitude I currently have towards life took a while to develop. At first, I was not sure how I could heal such a large wound. I still am not sure, but I know I am getting closer to my goal every day.

Starting in 2018, I experienced many stomach problems when I would eat. My family thought that it was acid reflux, so we changed my diet to accommodate it. Nothing seemed to change when we made that decision, so the next stop was the allergist. My blood was taken and tested concluding in the results of me being allergic to a multitude of food items. To list a few; wheat, soy, and cow's milk. The list could go on. We had to switch my diet again and my stomach issues started to subside, until a year later. Meat started to make my stomach hurt, but it was not because of allergies. Every time I ate chicken or beef, I could envision the animals still living and I slowly started to eliminate it from my diet. Every time I tell people about my allergies and diet, I am always asked, "Well, what do you eat?" That question is a hard one for me to answer and explain. Most of the food I eat is homecooked because of all the modifications that have to be made. Those changes in my health have benefitted me. I eat healthier and do not eat out as much. Right now, my diet is pescatarian. I am working towards eliminating fish from my diet as well, so I can be fully vegan. I am interested in going raw vegan because of the benefits that it has. That will be in the future though because the commitment it takes is too much for me right now. Another thing that I have changed with my diet is removing as many processed foods from it. The majority of vegan products are heavily processed and contain way too much sodium. Which defeats the purpose of trying to eat healthier. I have been living this lifestyle for almost three years and there have been moments when it was easy and times when it was difficult. Some of those difficult times have to do with my hunger, temptation, and my weight. Vegan food does not fill you up at all. You have to either eat three meals at once or go hungry for portions of the day. My temptation never surrounded meat. I always craved ice cream, donuts, and cakes. Any sweets that consisted of my allergens. It is worse because I am not a baker and it has hard to find any desserts that are perfectly modified. My weight has fluctuated up and down on repeat since I started changing my diet. It has been a long time coming, but I am finally at a comfortable weight and I can maintain it. To conclude, my health journey has been an interesting adventure and it will continue to be interesting as I switch it up.

During my Sophomore year, I became interested in learning about the human mind and why we do certain things. It was during the peak of the pandemic and my family had lost too many people, to health and mental battles. My mental health started to decline without me even realizing it. I became irritable and tired, I lost my appetite, and my enthusiastic views about life disappeared. I didn’t want to believe that I was depressed, mainly because of the stigma it has in the Black community. I was scared that if I mentioned it, I wouldn’t get taken seriously since my life was “good” and I “had nothing to be sad about”. I believed it too. I thought there were more important things to worry about than how I felt and that it was just a phase. The gloomy feeling of uncertainty stayed with me for a long time, but after suppressing it, I finally decided to take my mental health seriously. I started researching depression and read stories about people who felt the same way I did. I wanted to know if they “cured” themselves and how I could do the same. However, I slowly realized that depression isn’t some curable disease. It’s a mental health issue that can’t be fixed with a snap of a finger. It takes time. You have to be willing to get better. I changed my diet, journaled, wrote stories, and used distractions like work and anime in hopes of bettering myself. I did everything but the one thing that might’ve helped me improve. See a therapist. I’ve since gotten the courage to mention it to my parents, but to no surprise, they doubted I needed one because I seemed happy and had everything I wanted. Getting better on my own was the best option. The feeling of unworthiness was also present during that time of my life, but I had a fear of death. Even if I felt like removing myself from this world, I could never do it. I have immense empathy for people who have that feeling and grow close to or do take themselves out. Using my career to connect with them and help them is something I can do to make a difference in suicide prevention. As I worked on myself, my interest in Psychology grew. I transferred to a new school and took the Psychology course they have. By the end of my Junior year, I knew I wanted to study it in college. I plan to use my experience with mental health and the knowledge I have and will continue to gain, to help people—especially young Black teens who might go through the same thing I did. Becoming a therapist is the best way that I can do that.

It’s sad being the loneliest person in the room in a room full of people I know that’s reiterated but it’s how I've been feeling lately That feeling of being in despair as you’re being stared at It’s like you’re the biggest act in the circus and you’re scared that They’ll look into your head and see all the things you’re thinking It’s not like your thoughts are bad but that they’ll be in your business They’ll learn your deepest secrets and tell all their friends about it They’ll rip open your heart and will leave you without a conscious Your chest is feeling heavy and your nerves are nerving There’s nowhere to go but your head which leads to more overthinking Eye contact is nonexistent and your throat grows tighter You don’t know what to do but debate if you should be a fight or flighter The door is 2 kilometers - 6500 ft - 1.2 miles away If only you could grab the knob and run away Call a cab and ditch this spot Go home and collect your thoughts And try again tomorrow

During my Sophomore year, I became interested in learning about the human mind and why we do certain things. It was during the peak of the pandemic, and my family had lost too many people to health and mental battles. My mental health started to decline without me even realizing it. I became irritable and tired, I lost my appetite, and my enthusiastic views about life disappeared. I didn’t want to believe that I was depressed, mainly because of the stigma it has in the Black community. I was scared that if I mentioned it, I wouldn’t get taken seriously since my life was “good” and I “had nothing to be sad about.” I believed it too. I thought there were more important things to worry about than how I felt and that it was just a phase. The gloomy feeling of uncertainty stayed with me for a long time, but after suppressing it, I finally decided to take my mental health seriously. I started researching depression and read stories about people who felt the same way I did. I wanted to know if they “cured” themselves and how I could do the same. However, I slowly realized that depression isn’t some curable disease. It’s a mental health issue that can’t be fixed with a snap of a finger. It takes time. You have to be willing to get better. I changed my diet, journaled, wrote stories, and used distractions like work and anime in hopes of bettering myself. I did everything but the one thing that might’ve helped me improve. See a therapist. I’ve since gotten the courage to mention it to my parents, but to no surprise; they doubted I needed one because I seemed happy and had everything I wanted. Getting better on my own was the best option. As I worked on myself, I became interested in Psychology, which led to me knowing that I wanted to study it in college. I plan to use my experience with mental health and the knowledge I have and will continue to gain to help people—especially young Black teens who might go through the same thing I did.

Some of my academic goals are my involvement in a handful of civic engagement and community service throughout my high school career. I have been an avid member of three clubs, all of which experience social issues. At my first high school, I was a member of the Alliance club, and I created a Black Student Union. At the school I currently attend, I am a member of a club called Beautifully Unique. The main demographic of members in each club is minorities. I have spent my time in each one, trying to amplify the voices of every person who represents each group. Being a voice for undervalued communities is what motivates me the most. The first notable club I joined was the Alliance Club. It is a club made for the LGBT+ community and its allies. As a proud ally of the community, I supported many members who might have been weary of expressing their true selves. When talking about specific topics within the community, I allowed them to take the floor and listened on the sidelines. The LGBT+ community is disadvantaged and can have problems gaining support. As a member, I learned a lot about those who are a part of the LGBT+ community. I created the Black Student Union to amplify the voice of the small percentage of Black Students at my predominantly White high school. By talking about important topics within the Black community during meetings and sharing information through the school's newsletter, the club was able to connect with other students and the community that surrounded the school. It opened the floor to discuss how the school could better support its Black students. Creating that club allowed me to jump-start an effort toward Black voices being heard in an environment where they are the minority. My mission succeeded, and the club continued to grow past my expectations, even after I left. The most recent club that I am a member of is Beautifully Unique. It is an all-girls club that supports sisterhood between high school girls in grades ninth through twelfth. This is my second year in this club, and I became the Event Coordinator. The year started slow, but I am coming up with ideas for what events we could host at the school. I have participated in one community service activity with the club so far. We went to a church and sorted clothes for families in Memphis. We are looking forward to doing more things like that as the year progresses. Being a part of all three clubs has granted me plenty of civic engagement and community service experience. That experience is how I have and will continue to give back to my community. My academic goals inspire me to make a difference in our world because I can use my ability to speak on topics that our society makes controversial. Using my voice in spaces where others like me are rarely seen will help me make an impact.

I chose to attend an HBCU because I want to grow comfortable in my Blackness. All my life, I have attended schools where Black students were the minority demographic. I always had the feeling of being out of place. Like I did not belong in those environments. At a young age, I followed Eurocentric beauty standards religiously. I straightened my hair way too much and changed the way I talked. It took me years to realize how bad that was. Not only did I damage my hair, but how I viewed myself was also messed up. There were also many cultural disconnects between my non-Black peers and me. Common scenarios and ideas in my house seemed absurd to many of my friends. I felt overlooked as well. My opinion rarely mattered, or someone else took credit for my idea. That resulted in me becoming a reserved person. If no one cared for my opinion, I felt no need to share it. Attending an HBCU will allow me to be comfortable with who I am because I will be surrounded by others who look like me and have similar experiences. I will not need to conform and become someone I am not.

It was a breezy summer night on May 19th, 2019. Curie High School in Chicago, Illinois was hosting a city-wide dance competition. It was time for the announcement of what teams were in the top five and who won first place in the Hip-Hop category. My team, The Durkin Dancing Dolls, had already won 2nd in the Modern Contemporary category and we waited anxiously to see if we’ll win first for Hip-Hop. This was the last year that I was going to be dancing with them as their captain, so being able to take that first-place trophy home would make this a memorable night. We were still in the running as it came down to the last two teams to be announced and we still had hope. We ended up in 2nd place, but we didn’t take it as a loss. Our coach told us to take it as motivation for the next year. As the night ended, I grew sadder because I wouldn’t be able to experience those kinds of moments with my team again. I hoped that one day I would be able to find another way to dance. Whenever I’m dancing, it feels like I’m in a different world where it’s just me and the music. If my body wasn’t sore, I could dance for hours. I had my happiest years when I was on that dance team. Dance has helped me remain positive in one of the darkest times of my life. One year my family fell out with one of my grandmas then lost my other grandma and my uncle less than a month after. I danced to distract myself. Dance also gave me the freedom to express how I felt through my movement. It was therapeutic for me to use my body to release my feelings and emotions. Dance has also allowed me to gain many skills at a young age. Some of those skills were leadership, empathy, cooperativeness, preparedness, and time management. By the time I started working, I had valuable experience on my resume. Younger me gaining an interest in dance has contributed to my life notably. I can’t ever see myself getting tired of dancing. Even though I’m not on a team now, I still find ways to do it. I participate in Zumba and have virtual dance parties with my sister. I intend to bring my passion to college with me. Maybe I’ll host my own Zumba class or be the coach of a dance team. I could even incorporate it into my psychology career and offer dance therapy. I like the idea of using something that helped me in a time of need to help others. Being able to incorporate something I love into my everyday life is what makes dance so meaningful to me.

During my Sophomore year, I became interested in learning about the human mind and why we do certain things. It was during the peak of the pandemic and my family had lost too many people, to health and mental battles. My mental health started to decline without me even realizing it. I became irritable and tired, I lost my appetite, and my enthusiastic views about life disappeared. I didn’t want to believe that I was depressed, mainly because of the stigma it has in the Black community. I was scared that if I mentioned it, I wouldn’t get taken seriously since my life was “good” and I “had nothing to be sad about”. I believed it too. I thought there were more important things to worry about than how I felt and that it was just a phase. The gloomy feeling of uncertainty stayed with me for a long time, but after suppressing it, I finally decided to take my mental health seriously. I started researching depression and read stories about people who felt the same way I did. I wanted to know if they “cured” themselves of it and how I could do the same. However, I slowly realized that depression isn’t some curable disease. It’s a mental health issue that can’t be fixed with a snap of a finger. It takes time. You have to be willing to get better. I changed my diet, journaled, wrote stories, and used distractions like work and anime in hopes of bettering myself. I did everything but the one thing that might’ve helped me improve. See a therapist. I’ve since gotten the courage to mention it to my parents, but to no surprise, they doubted I needed one because I seemed happy and had everything I wanted. Getting better on my own was the best option. As I worked on myself, my interest in Psychology grew. I transferred to a new school and took the Psychology course they have. By the end of my Junior year, I knew I wanted to study it in college. I intend to join the Therapist field and have my own office. I plan to use my experience with mental health and the knowledge I have and will continue to gain, to help people. Especially young Black teens who might go through the same thing I did. Becoming a therapist is the best way that I can do that.