I don't particularly have one single discovery that is my favorite, but I love all of the space and space exploration discoveries that have been made and continue to be made. Seeing a closer look at Mars and the things being found there, as well as the new planets and solar systems being discovered fascinates me. I don't have the brain to work in the science field, but I love learning and reading about these discoveries and the technology being created to assist us with them. Knowing just how little we know about space and our desire to learn more makes my soul happy. NASA has been doing such hard work at exploring the outer solar systems and galaxies.

One way my mental health experience has helped shape my goals and relationships is the way I am encouraging at my second job as a figure skating coach. I have always struggled with mental health issues, especially anxiety and depression, and being a figure skater myself gave me a lot of anxiety and worry about myself and my programs. I always felt I was being judged for not only my age, but my choice in music, my ability on the ice, and my mistakes. It caused a lot of anxiety, especially in regards to testing days and competitions. I never felt worthy of my coaches time or the space I took up on the ice. Now as I teach young kids how to skate, I try my best to use positive reinforcement and encouragement sop that these kids don't experience the same type of anxieties on the ice that I have in the past. I celebrate every success and encourage them with every failure. I want them to see skating as a fun sport and not come to resent it because of incorrect pressures and expectations. I also encourage all the other skaters in my club regardless of their age and skill set, so they know that an adult other than their parent and coach thinks they are doing a good job and are worthy of the sport. I recently had one parent reach out to me asking me about mental health in relationship to being a member of the LGBT community as her daughter, one of the skaters, had come out to her but was afraid to come out at the rink in fear of reactions from other skaters and their parents. Using my past experiences, I was able to give the mother advice as well as show my unwavering support for her daughter, even stating that if it made her daughter feel better (even if she wasn't out) that I would gladly wear my Pride shirts to practice to show her that no one treats me differently because I'm bisexual and open about it. Through my own mental health struggles about coming out and being accepted at the rink, I have been able to help not only this mother, but her daughter and they know that I am here for them in any way they needed. I also provided her with some resources about LGBT mental health as well as prominent and popular LGBT figure skaters throughout the world. I wanted her daughter to have a professional athlete to look up to.

The wisest thing I have ever been told was to simply be myself and be proud of who I am. Growing up I always wanted to be like the others, do the things that were considered popular, and in general just be someone who wasn't me. My uncle always told me to just be myself and I'd be happier. He was very right. When I graduated from college I really decided to be "me" and express my true personality. I came out as LGBT and began to cosplay and cosplay at comic cons, showing up my "geeky" and "nerdy" sides and my interest in Japanese manga and anime. I also began to dress the way I wanted to and felt comfortable instead of just dressing the way I thought people wanted me to. While I do identify as she/her, I prefer an androgynous look and chopped my hair off, which was so freeing. I do still have moments where I feel like I need to be someone other than myself, but since taking this advise, I have become so much happier and created some great friendships in the process. I would not have met these people if I had not been true to myself and my personality.

A few months ago when the library that I work at was still closed to the public, we were offering curbside pickup for holds. We have one regular patron who came to use curbside service and when helped by one of our staff, Miranda, was upset that the book she had on reserve was taken off since it had gone past our pick-up time allotment. The patron was well aware that we only give 7 days to pick up a hold and when Miranda informed her that we didn't have the hold and she began to yell at our staff member, telling her that she only wanted to speak and work with someone who spoke English and would do as she said. Miranda is Chinese and while English is her second language, she does very well with it and was properly reminding the patron of our policies. The patron was yelling at our staff member, telling her she wasn't American and she needed to go back to where she came from. She was shaken as she came in to ask those of us who had been in our branch longer how to best deal with this patron, and another staff member and I went out and informed that patron that they way she was speaking to the patron and the words she was using were unacceptable. We told her that she was not able to request a particular staff member and that if she refused to respectfully communicate with all staff then she wasn't welcome in our branches. We also reminded the patron that she is well aware of our policies and that she is not an exemption to them. Afterwards, I spoke with my coworker and tried to comfort her, informing her that sadly this wasn't a new occurrence with this patron and that if any patron ever made her feel uncomfortable or not capable of her job to let us know and she had her back. We reminded her that she had done her part of the transaction perfectly and that she was well valued and respected at work. It really impacted me because while we have a very diverse staff, I had not encountered such blatant racism here. Seeing an amazing person get belittled and yelled at simply because she was not white was heart breaking and angering. This patron does not interact with white staff like that on the many times we remind her of our policies or any other interaction she has with us. I felt proud of myself that I decided to step in with my other co-worker to get our staff out of the uncomfortable situation and remind the patron that we do not accept intolerance or racism at our libraries. It reminded me of how far we really have to go in prejudice and racism in the country and how it can appear at any moment from anyone. My staff member was so thankful for my support and I just reminded her that she does not need to thank me for doing what's right and standing up for her and all those who deal with the same things she does.

In order to relax, I enjoy taking long baths with Epsom Salts and a good book. It let's me relax physically and mentally and makes me feel good and comfortable. I also enjoy reading while curled up in bed and a great cup of tea. I also enjoy taking care of my mental health by figure skating. It is one of my favorite and best ways of getting my mind off the things that have been bothering me. Being on the ice gives me a sense of calm that nothing else does. It let's me forget my worries and focus on the way I express creativity. Even if I have a rough practice and fall or can't master a move, I always feel better mentally after a session on the ice. It also helps my mental health because I have formed so many friendships at the rink and been given a place where I'm important and worth the time and space I take up at the rink.

My absolute favorite hobby is Figure Skating. I started back in 2017 just as something to do that seemed fun. I had wanted to skate as a kid but it was too expensive for my family to afford. I started taking adult learn to skate group classes and fell in love with it. I quickly moved on from the group classes to getting a private coach because I wanted to learn at a faster pace then the classes were giving me. I started with a coach and she helped me figure out what boots would be best for me since I needed to have my own pair of skates instead of rentals. In the past few years I've quickly progressed to jumping and spinning and I spend what travel time I have going to competitions to watch as well as competitions to compete myself. I have moved on to a coach that had more time for lessons and has more experience with choreography. For me, skating is something that I have for myself that no one else does or has. It's a way for me to decompress and just be myself. It's a creative way to express my thoughts and feelings and I feel at home on the ice more than I feel that way anywhere else. I feel like I'm free and flying. I have made so many friends through skating both in my local rink and in the skating community nationwide. I've been able to travel to so many great places to watch skating and meet some really inspirational professional skaters. Most of all, it has really helped me improve my mental health and my physical health. It is a very intense sport and engages so many muscles as well as provides a great cardio workout.

One practical solution for helping people who are struggling is to work to get rid of the stigma that surrounds mental health. For many years I refused to seek out help for my mental health because I did not want to be judged for having mental health problems. I had good insurance that covered services and a doctor who was amazing, but it took me years purely because I was afraid of what others thought. De-stigmatizing mental health will give those who are struggling confidence and reassurance that they are not alone and that there is nothing to be ashamed of for having mental illness and asking for help. Making sure that people know that they will not be judged for their illness, just as they are not for physical illness, is vital in the process of getting people the help they need to. Once I got help and really realized my friends and family weren't going to judge me for my mental illness getting help and reaching out more became a lot easier. We need agencies all over to fight against stigmas, which is easy to do and really low-budget, in order to show those suffering that their mental illness is the same as a physical illness and will not be judged. Showing that they will be accepted as they are and given the help they need is super important. Purely being vocal about mental health will help those struggling with it. It's easy, it's practical, it's one of the best ways we can help those struggling- by making sure they know they are not alone and mental illness is normal.

One change that I know will make education better for future generations is placing a focus on access funding. So many students, especially those in underprivileged areas, don't receive as good an education as others because the areas they live in don't have the money to provide equal and equitable access to things like the internet, laptops/chromebooks, and opportunities such as trade schools and college. Focusing funding on providing these resources will break down barriers to access as well as simplify access to information. Ensuring teachers have the supplies they need to truly make a difference in a child's life, and ensuring that students who are not financially able to pay for college or trade schools receive help will make a big difference in providing equal and equitable education. Students who come from areas with better funded schools and higher income levels statistically do much better in school and are offered more opportunities to continue their education and learn. Giving the students who do not have these opportunities a chance will help them succeed and in turn their communities and future generations in those communities will flourish. Making technologies affordable to both schools and students will ensure that they will get a better chance at succeeding in life and continuing that upwards slope of success.

The most helpful piece of advice I ever received was to use my credit card. Growing up, I always assumed that your credit would stay good if you didn't use your credit. Through teaching from my parents, I found out that that is not true and that the best way to keep your credit score high is to use your credit card and make sure you are paying things off. When I went in to buy my first car, it was easier for me to not only get a loan, but get a good interest rate because I had a really good credit score and history of payments. If I had not known that it was actually beneficial to use my credit card and pay it off, I would have never used it and probably would have had a much harder time getting the loan I needed for the car that I had to buy unexpectedly. This knowledge will help me as time goes on as I go through life and one day buy a house or get a new car. It will help me keep my interest rates low when I do need to take out loans and it will help me keep track of my spending through ensuring that I am paying off my bills.

My favorite book currently is "We Contain Multitudes" by Sarah Henstra. It is a YA LGBTQIA Plus novel about 2 boys in high school who fall in love via classwork assigned letter in a pen-pal format. This is my favorite book because it is a realistic romance book with LGBT characters. The characters are very real in and of themselves and the issues they deal with- homophobia, bullying, family issues, etc- are very real and complex. I love that it is written in letter format back and forth between the two characters, giving us great insight into both of their lives and their thoughts. We oftentimes only get one point of view, so having both is very refreshing and insightful. As a member of the LGBT community, this book really resonated with me and it was great to see positive representation in a book. While the characters are not perfect and neither are those around them, they are forming a positive and strong relationship built on trust and communication. I always recommend this book when someone is looking for LGBT romance. It speaks to my heart and soul and as library employee, I strive to get it in the hands of people and spread it's messages.

The person I admire most from history is Rosa Parks. While she is a common answer to questions like this, she is a great example of perseverance and strength. She peacefully fought against the racism that was, and is, extremely prominent in this country, and she also was an example of an amazing woman who believed in her self worth and the worth of others around her. I recently visited the exhibition about her at the Library of Congress in Washington DC, and it was even more eye-opening into the struggles she faced throughout her life and the amazing work she did through her activism. Learning more about the bus incident as well as other boycott's she participated in was an eye opening experience. It was also heartbreaking since the time period these happened in are very recent. Throughout her life of being fired from jobs because of her activism as well as the many threats she received because of her work, she stood strong and peaceful. She stayed humble and kept on fighting for racial justice and equal opportunities for not only black citizens and women, but especially for black women. She stood strong and still stands as a leader and role model for justice and an inspiration for all of us still fighting for racial equality. Her strength, both mentally and physically, and her humility as she did her work, will continue to inspire me and be a voice for good for the nation and the world. She worked to break free of the social and political chains created by segregation and racism and to ensure that while she left behind no children, that the children of the future will have better and more equal opportunities.

In my opinion, the biggest problem we are facing in the world right now is the continuation of war based off fear. Right now as Russia invades Ukraine for no valid reason, all I can think of is how fear and the want of power has caused so many problems in the world. People who crave power and are fearful of being seen as weak are terrorizing innocent people purely for the sake of their own selfishness and insecurities. They are preying on people who are not like them purely because they are not like them. They are afraid of these differences and decide that war and murder and chaos are the solution; when in actuality opposite is the solution. Opening your eyes and mind and being willing to listen and understand a person or community's story is what is needed between different nations as well as basic human decency. This problem of fear is ruining lives and relationships. I think we can work on this by continuing to promote peace and communication. Having political leaders continue to work together and make compromises based on best interest instead of personal interest, biases, and prejudices will help the world heal. On a smaller level, the same can be said for the "war" on racism we're experiencing in this country. By listening, learning, and talking peacefully, we can overcome racism on all levels. The fear people have for others and communities different from them are heartbreaking and hopefully with open minds and willing to peacefully communicate, we can make the world a better place.

The main way I act to affect positive change is being an active member of my work's EDI team. We are a public Library system and through this team, we are striving to not only improve hiring practices, rules and policies to be anti-racist, but also to promote equality and inclusion in all aspects of our system and the community. We are assisting with running collection audits to ensure our collection properly reflects our diverse and growing community. My acts in this group are also auditing the hiring practices to ensure that there are no unconscious bias in them and that all people are truly being given equal opportunities to work and grow in our library system. We are also performing outreach in our community to partner with other organizations to ensure EDI in our community and with other government agencies to ensure the same. We attend local events to promote our EDI work and the work of other great organization in our community. We have already seen a great improvement in awareness and learning within the past year that we have had this workgroup. We strive in the future to be able to continue to educate the community about EDI and it's importance as well as support changes as needed.

The biggest thing that I have learned about myself that I have found valuable is my sexuality as a bisexual person. Throughout college, I struggled with my feelings, not knowing or understanding what it was as I was never really exposed to the LGBT community much growing up. Once I discovered what my feelings meant, I felt a great sense of relief, but also pride. I was proud to realize I was a member of a large and diverse community of amazing people. It has opened a world to me that I have found a home in. I have made so many friends, been able to find people who understand me and support me, and found the strength to come out to my family. While coming out went well for the most part, there are still some extended family members who haven't been as accepting, but I have found a role to speak out against homophobia and trans-phobia and help my family and the community become loving and accepting. It's a role that I find valuable not only because it does help the community, but it also helps me mentally and emotionally be truer to myself and be my authentic self. Learning about my bisexuality has become such a big role in my life, especially as I have taken on the role of supportive friend to so many people. It is a valuable role that I take very seriously and am grateful to have. I have become a force for change and acceptance and I value that opportunity.

The main way I apply creativity to my life is through my figure skating. From choosing music to finalizing the editing to make it fit the required length to creating choreography and finding a dress, I show my creativity on the ice. The creativity I put into my skating and put on show in my programs is a release for me. It's a dance, just on ice. It's showing my emotions and my feelings. I feel like I'm flying and I'm free. I worked with my coach on my previous season's program, which was to "A Window to the Past" from the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban soundtrack. The dress was darker shades of red to memorialize the death of the main character's mother, who is the topic of discussion while the music plays in the movie. I worked my choreography to showcase my best jumps and to flow with the music to tell the audience a story. My biggest jump lands on a big crescendo, highlighting the importance of the moment in the film and in my program. While my figure skating is not at a very high level, it's the perfect creative outlet me and it lets me express who I am in a way that feels best to me. I've never been good at drawing or painting, or sculpture, but figure skating is my creative outlet that lets me shine in a way I have never shone before. It sets me apart from my family creatively, and it allows me to instill the love of skating to young children through my job of coaching group lessons.

Last month, my family lost my maternal grandfather after he struggled and battled with Dementia and Alzheimer's for over 3 years. While the loss was expected, it happened a bit quicker than we anticipated due to a major stoke he had a week before his death. Growing up, he was the smartest and most educated person I know. As an English teacher, he instilled not only his students, but his granddaughter with a love of reading and literacy. He also instilled a lot of technology and enjoying life. His death has really taught me that I need to stop waiting to do what I want and to continue to work hard at what I love to do. There are so many things he was unable to do once his dementia and Alzheimer's set in, and I want to learn from that and live my life and try not to worry so much. I want to lead by his example in the world and educate the young minds growing up in these confusing and complicated times. I'm going to fight to achieve my goals of graduating with my Master's in Library Science in his name and I am going to fight to do what he knew I loved and what makes me happy, figure skating. He was never able to see me skate in person, and while I showed him videos, he was to the point mentally that he didn't understand that it was me or who I was in relation to him. I want to fight for a full life, one of family and friends, and personal interests. Fight not to drown in work and to help my community as he did not only as a teacher but as a volunteer firefighter. I miss him terribly every day, and while his death was expected, it has still been extremely hard to come to terms with and accept. I've had to support my mother and my little cousins through this while also processing my grief. It's reminded me that the next day is not promised and that it's important to word hard, play hard, and help hard. I still find myself thinking that I'll pick him up his favorite candy and visit him at his nursing home, only to remember he's not there. But I know he will be with me in my life journey and a source of fond memories when the times get tough.

It might be a bit cliche', but my favorite piece of art has always been "Starry Night" by Van Gogh. Not only have I always loved the stars, but the brushstrokes and the way the colors swirl around the canvas has always been extremely calming for me. It has always been a piece of art I gravitate to when I need to calm down and when I need a moment to collect my thoughts. It's been the calm in the storm that we call life. I also really gravitate to this art piece because the art strokes also remind me of the etches my figure skating blades put on the ice. Figure Skating is calming for me and the rink a second home, so I always think of that when I see this piece. I am also a lover of night and the sky. I do my best work at night and the night sky has always been comforting to me. The moon and stars make me wanderlust, and this art is a great example of the wanderlust in my brain. The reasoning behind its creation also speaks to me; I deal with mental health issues just as Vincent Van Gogh did and I can understand and resonate with his wish of ridding his mind of the chaos. The "glow" of the painting speaks to me as hope of a better tomorrow and a clearer, happier mind. It's quiet and sad, but it's also busy and hopeful. The swirls of the paint stokes blend together perfectly to calm my mind and soul when I see it, and I hope to be able to visit the painting in person one day.

I became a member of my work's EDI group when it was formed, and while I considered myself anti-racist before joining, I have really learned that being anti-racist is a journey and that there is always room for improvement and learning. Through all the webinars we watched as part of our training, I learned about so many ways that the world is racist that I never knew about, and it really has made me reflect on my life and my work environment. There is far more institutional racism present in the world, even in libraries where I work, and it has been extremely disheartening to learn, but it has also made me a better advocate and ally. I'm working with my teammates to change rules and policies as well as hiring practices to be better at promoting and being actively anti-racist. It has also really spilled over into my personal life and I have worked at becoming a better ally for my BIPOC friends and all others who face discrimination, racism, and other types of prejudice. I'm more comfortable speaking out. I'm actively doing better to recognize not only my own implicit bias, but those of others and speaking up when I see bias or a microaggression. The news wants us to believe we are so far ahead in being an anti-racist society, but that's so far from the truth; we are so far behind in the journey. And I have taken what I have learned and what I continue to lean to work towards being a better person and helping my community learn and grow.

I am currently dealing with an ankle that I broke 2 weeks ago and it has been extremely rough for me. I'm a figure skater and being forced off the ice when I've wanted to be on it the most has been a large struggle for me physically and mentally. I broke my ankle when a figure skating move went wrong and my blade got caught in the ice weird, and it has forced me into a cast and limited productivity at the library I work at. It has also taken my figure skating coaching job from me while I heal. The first few days were really rough mental days, especially as we had buried my grandfather the day before the break, but I decided that being down wasn't going to help me heal. Instead, I decided to focus on when I'm back on the ice, working with my coach on my new program next season and keeping up with the progress of my skating students. I've taken the opportunity to look at skating from a new perspective, no longer taking it for granted. I'm at home on the ice, and being optimistic now will help me be successful when I get back on. It has taught me that life throws us curve-balls, especially at the worst times, but letting it dwell in our brains does not help healing, it only hinders it. It's taught me to be grateful for my family and friends who have been such big supports and that it's okay to slow down at times.

One personal finance lesson I find important is learning hoe to correctly budget. From a very young age, my parents instilled the importance of saving and budgeting. My father was a firefighter raising a family and made sure that we had what we needed while still ensuring he was saving money as much as possible. His hard work allowed both my sister and I to achieve Bachelor's Degrees without any loans. He had been able to not only save enough to send us both to 4 year schools, but also saved up enough to pay for my sister's wedding. He and my mother taught us how to balance a checkbook, write checks, keep track of payments, and what to keep in our records for things like taxes. Without his knowledge and teachings, I would not have been able to budget and save enough to put a great down payment on a car I desperately needed. While I haven't been great at saving due to the current economy, his lessons have taught me to be prepared to save whenever I have the chance, but to also remember to enjoy life and have fun. I travel a bit and I spend money on my figure skating, but I learned from him how to budget all of that around savings and bills. He taught us how to keep our credit score great and just be as financially literate as possible; something his family struggled with when he was a child.