One of the most important people in my life is my younger cousin. Together, we have an unspoken agreement that we share almost everything. If she buys a book she absolutely loves, she will always offer it to me to borrow for as long as I want. If she comes over to my house and we have an unplanned sleepover, she has free reign of my entire wardrobe. We have shared countless items between us, old and new. Growing up, I was aware that my cousin wasn’t raised in an economically stable household. Her parents divorced following the 2008 recession, and her family was left bankrupt. The majority of her clothes were my hand-me-downs from when I was her age. It was especially difficult for my cousin to be solely raised by her mom. I would always make sure to have her over my house as much as possible because her mom was constantly working. We have not recently discussed our sharing habits, but I don’t think anything needs to be said. Sharing originates from a place of care and affection. Generous people share, not because they feel like they owe you something, but because they are only thinking of you. A generous gift does not even have to be tangible. It can be something as simple as your time or your advice. I like to think of me and my cousin’s agreement as paying kindness forward. It does not matter what you are giving, as long as it brings the other person joy.

My freshman year was revolutionary in terms of prioritizing diversity and inclusion for my high school. I live in a very small town, and for a long time, words like “queer”, “nonbinary”, and “transgender” were seldom used to describe students who identified themselves as such. Derogatory terms were much more commonly vocalized from my peers. Being aware of this very unfortunate social climate, my current best friend came out as bisexual to the entire school. His group of friends at the time were extremely popular. He was completely exiled after speaking his mind. His male friends accused him of liking them, and his female friends attempted to use him to fit their stereotypical “gay best friend” cliché. This also happened to be the same year I joined my school’s Gay-Straight Alliance. Every time he was bullied or harassed, I did my best to respectfully bring the issue to the attention of the high school faculty. Unfortunately, my school’s administrators do very little to punish homophobic belligerency. My junior year, an article was included in my local newspaper about one specific situation when my school’s football team sent a video to my friend of them audibly calling him homophobic slurs. They were suspended for one day. Though my friend had no interest in his situation being public information, the superintendent of my school district gave away his name when he commented in the article. My friend didn’t know it at the time, but I sent our superintendent an email of how unprofessional it was to violate his privacy. The article remains on the internet, but the superintendent issued a formal apology to my friend. He told me, over the past four years, I encouraged him to develop a voice for himself, as well as others that struggle to speak up.

Every year, starting during spring, my family and I start an organic vegetable garden in our backyard. We grow a large variety of plants, not only to feed the members of our household, but to also reduce our carbon footprint. We don’t feel the need to buy synthetic fertilizers because we make our own compost. This adds nutrients to the soil without the process of driving to the store to buy fertilizer that would cause groundwater toxicity and pollution. The leaching of these fertilizers into waterways can also harm aquatic ecosystems. Less frequent trips to the grocery store also reduces our contribution of carbon emissions into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels. I don’t even own a car. I practically ride my bike everywhere. I try to avoid purchasing from fast fashion companies as well. Apart from practicing unethical and exploitative behavior, these companies are responsible for a large portion of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, as well as global wastewater. Now, I get more than half of my clothes from secondhand stores and consignment shops. I know there are many ways to protect the environment, but what I have found to be most beneficial to our earth was advocating for its health and informing myself and others on what can be done to reduce our carbon footprint together. We cannot even begin to make an impact without understanding the science behind climate change, in addition to implementing ecologically sound methods into our individual lives.

When my older sister was 10 years old, she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder called PANDAS. It may sound cute and fuzzy, but since then, it drastically impacted her mental health. The disorder mainly targeted her brain, which caused her to experience traumatic episodes of psychosis, depression, and anxiety. To this day, my sister (who is now 19) still had to take medication for the damage this illness cause to her mental health. Like many others with mental health issues, during the lock down period of the pandemic, my sister’s mental health suffered immensely. She was away at college spending most of her time confined in a small dorm room. Being in a larger city, COVID cases were spiking around her and she was forced to isolate. A few weeks before she returned home for the summer, a student on the floor above her took his own life. Just like her, he was isolated in his room with the pressures of school work and the pandemic weighing on him. My first thought was, “It could’ve been anyone. It could’ve been my sister.” Hearing this story from her caused me to recognize that I should check up on my friends and family more. It caused me to encourage others to talk about what they’re going through and to always be sensitive to someone else’s situation mentally. There are few ways to help someone with their own mental health, but it does not mean they are ineffective. Check up on your friends and family. Ask them how they are feeling. You could save a life.

The famous poet and playwright Oscar Wilde once said, “You can never be overdressed or over educated.” This quote always inspires me to achieve my goals because it reminds me of what is most important to me. My education is one of these things. Being educated on many subjects, from common grade school curriculum, to social issues and the arts, is immensely valuable to me. This quote also inspires me to be my true authentic self. I’ve always interpreted Wilde’s use of the word “overdressed” in many different ways. I have come to understand the word doesn’t just have to refer to what you are wearing. It can be in reference to your attitude, your personality, and even the people you surround yourself with. You will be judged for all of these things in your lifetime, so you might as well be extravagant with them and allow yourself freedom to be genuine. With my plans to have an education in design, I hope that taking inspiration from this quote will benefit my creativity and versatility.