People value different aspects of themselves. They can be influenced my society, culture, politics, and other forms that can greatly impact how a person views themselves. Holding things dear such as family and friends can help accentuate an individual’s value. There are different factors that come into play, and these can be very nuanced, but for me it is simple. The resilient person that I am is who I resonate with the most. Since I was a young age, I have gone through things that no child deserves to go through. As a consequence, my mental health has been detoriating since middle school. I suffer from depression and anxiety, and some days getting out of bed seems impossible. Even though I am going through the worst possible day of my life, I still manage to push forward in life. I don’t let my mental health issues get in the way of my school work, especially in college where the courses are more difficult to understand. There have been countless times where my patience has been tested by family members, not being able to see me as an adult but still wanting me to take on the responsibilities of one. Even though I go through bad days in my life, I remind myself that in those bad days are others where I truly feel happy to be alive. Integrating a positive mindset and learning to become a better person is something else I value within myself. I don’t resort to one perspective on a certain issue, especially if it’s nuanced, but try to look at it from all perspectives and incorporate that thinking to form my own opinion. There are times where people think that one side is right, especially in issues like wars, but truth is there really isn’t. Even though history class demonstrates distinct “losers” and “winners” we will never really know unless we have experienced the events ourselves. People focus on the past, but we should also focus on the present, where we have the power to take sides and know what is going on. This will help me solve issues that might seem more complicated than others in the real world. Since I have grown older, there are times when I think back and resonate with my past self. I question how my past self would have solved this issue, or how my past self would react to this. I think back on the past, but the difference is that now I don’t live in it. And I think that is an achievement in itself. My value as a person is derived from myself, my achievements, the things I did to make it through. This is because I did not have the best life growing up, and I still struggle with a lot of things that prevent me from truly flourishing as a person. But I am trying my best and every single day I am learning something new and that is what matters most.

My best skill is deciphering people’s emotions and helping them out. I enjoy helping people out because seeing them happy makes me feel accomplished, like I did something important. Everyone deserves to be noticed and accepted, no matter the scale of their issues. I’m improving my skill by talking to people more and understand their feelings. I am not a good social person, so I have to go out of my comfort zone to really practice my skill to the fullest extent. I am learning to talk to people in different environments, even it seems overwhelming. Branching out and talking to people has also made me feel better in terms of my mental health. I feel more reinvigorated and my anxiety has gotten better. While talking to people sometimes proves difficult because of my anxiety and my autism has made me unable to recognize many social cues, such as unable to look at people in the eye and pausing to let them talk, I am still thankful for the time I get with a person, whether I know them or not. I am glad to have made a difference in their life and I will keep on improving my skill.

Investing is a word that might seem to be overwhelming to some people. They think that to invest is to devote your entire day in learning something new and then applying your knowledge into the stock market, which follows fluxes every day. These fluxes means that a person could potentially lose money if they don't know what they are doing. In truth, the hardest part about investing is knowing where to start. There are countless of different investing options, such as stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Knowing where to start is tricky, but luckily I have learned some investing tips that might help you achieve your personal goals. When investing, I always remember to research a stock/bond before I purchase them. Researching grants me a background about what the stock is used for, who it is owned by, and what impact it makes on society. It also lets me see if it is trustworthy or not, because a lot of beginner investors blindly throw in their money and don't think about the consequences of their actions, which results them in losing more than they put in. In addition to research, I also watch videos on YouTube of trustworthy investors that have predicted a lot of previous trends in the stock market. Being everchanging, it is hard to spot the patterns in the stock market since they aren't noticeable and difficult to assess. In conclusion, investing isn't as difficult as people make it out to be. It takes just a few hours' worth of research, listening to veteran investors, and experience. It is important to manage your money wisely and keeping in mind that the stock market is something that changes constantly, despite your personal opinions or beliefs.

Ever since I was in middle school, I have suffered from mental health issues, specifically depression and anxiety. It was really hard for me to focus on the positive aspects in my life because every day felt mundane. When I started high school, my issues started getting worse and getting up proved more exhausting each day, especially since classes started at 7:30am and I had to get up at 6. Some days I slept as little as 4 hours studying for tests and potential exams. As my problems worsened, the years started to pass by, and sooner than I realized I had graduated high school. After graduating high school, I decided my depression was too debilitating on me and I decided to take a break from school for half a year and try to improve my coping mechanisms. Gradually, as the months passed, I have learned how to convert my negative thinking into positive. This helped me look forward to the little things in life and not just being proud of huge achievements. Being proud of the little things I do in life, such as waking up and eating a healthy meal makes me feel less overwhelmed when it comes to my personal expectations. I tend to forget a lot of things because of my depression, and positive thinking helps me overcome the shame and guilt I feel when I bypass something simple so easily. I have also taught myself to manifest positive thoughts into my life because they will come true. This one is subjective to some people because I know not everybody believes in the fact that the universe hands great things to you just because you are channeling some energy or force into it. But it does help me get into the habit of becoming a better person and being less negative about things that probably will have a small impact on my life. It is my third week of college and my coping mechanisms for my mental illness works wonders. I am able to stay productive for most of the day and to recall more things than I did before. I think what truly matters the most and which was also the hardest thing to do for me is to break the negative habits and cycles that depression and anxiety creates. Sometimes you sit on the bed and wallow in your misery while not doing anything else. It takes courage to break out of that vicious cycle and do what needs to be done. For me, the most helpful thing was looking forward to small achievements and aspects in life. Everything in life should be appreciated, no matter how small it may seem. Life isn’t just about the huge achievements and Nobel prize awards, it’s also about the stickers you got on the spelling bee test when you were in first grade, or how you made a new friend today despite having social anxiety. It takes courage to accept life for what it is, but also to appreciate everything within it.

I was born and raised a part of my life in Panama and came to America when I was 6 years old. I was a native Spanish speaker and knew little to no English. Being in such an unfamiliar place and moving away from my friends made me feel isolated from everyone for many years. I felt as if I could never make any friends because I could not communicate my thoughts and feelings to anyone. Things changed when I was in about third grade. I remember this very vividly because in second grade I was still grasping the English language, not fully having known it yet. In third grade though, I made friends with this boy named Ian. I still remember his name because he made a significant impact on me. Ian introduced me to Pokémon and other games that he liked, and of course being the curious kid I was, I took interest in them. These games shaped my life from elementary until now in college. However, there was something that was more substantial than the games. It was appreciation and kindness. Despite being a rookie conversing in English, Ian did not treat me any less as his friends that spoke perfectly. He appreciated my company no matter how I spoke or how many words I messed up. That kindness made such a huge impact on my life. Taking in Ian’s kindness and learning to appreciate everyone and everything around me has been rewarding. There are many challenges in which I suffer, such as mental health issues and financial issues, but being kind and appreciative makes life easier. I am an Accounting major at Florida Atlantic University, and because of that appreciation for people that was passed down to me long ago, I truly feel like my goal is attainable: To become a successful accountant that is able to improve one’s life and make others happy. Being grateful in life despite of all the hardships and endurances helps a lot. I learned to be patient with my circumstances and to not be worried about something that isn’t proven to occur. Removing all those worries in life, I now have the determination to continue forward while maintaining an open mind and heart. Anyone can say that they will change for the better, but very few will act on it.

To me, self-care was always a word that I felt like had one specific meaning tied to it. A majority of posts on social media define self-care as focusing on your well-being by meditating, taking in the sun, and spreading positivity around you. But what those posts don’t tell you is HOW self-care is supposed to work, and what is the deeper meaning behind that word. Over the years, I learned that self-care was not just an act of love to yourself, it was also gratitude. I had a ton of mental health problems when I was younger and I still do today, but practicing gratitude makes a horrible day turn into one of the best days of my life. Being thankful for my own existence was always a hard concept for me to accept because I always felt like I had to be useful in order to exist and to have meaning in this world. But that is far from it. Existing doesn’t have to have meaning, because meaning derives from nothing. I also remind myself every day to look forward to the little things because sometimes big achievements can be overwhelming since I struggle with depression and anxiety. A tip for people that don’t know how to practice self-care is to listen to yourself first before you listen to others. This is because you are the one that matters most, and you are doing this for your own sake rather than for others’. Practicing self-care can go a long way, and it also removes old habits and paves the way for new and improved habits in one’s life.

A piece of art that inspires me is Van Gogh’s “Starry Sky”. Although this piece is many individual’s favorites, it is special to me because it evokes a calming and relaxing feeling. The Starry Night feels like those late nights when everything has settled down; everyone has gone home from work and the evening starts to darken to a dark purplish color. Kids are getting ready for bedtime while their parents read them a story, any story, that makes their eyes close shut, with grins on their innocent faces. It feels like drinking hot chocolate on a chilly day. Most importantly, the Starry Night isn’t a piece of realism that many artists back in the Renaissance achieved. It demonstrates how art can evolve over time, and it doesn’t have to be realistic to be deemed as meaningful. Any piece of work can be called art because being an artist has no rules or boundaries. Many people use their skills for various reasons that each have different meanings behind them, and that is the true beauty of the world of art.

The most inspiring book I’ve read was The Goldfinch. The Goldfinch is about a boy named Theodore Decker who lost his mother in a museum fire, suffers through drug addictions and bad habits, and makes it through it all successfully. Despite not being one of the books I would initially pick, I appreciated the realism and truthfulness that was demonstrated in that book. Theo was just a teenager when he got caught up in bad habits, and I feel like each one of us has made a decision that we would look at in regret. His habits were caught up in his own insecurities and his own father’s ways of living. He was exposed to it and had no choice but to follow the life that was being presented to him firsthand. Theo’s actions were pushed further with his friend Boris, who smoked and drank till he passed out. Theo was a kid trying to forget about the reality and escape into a fantasy world of his, which made him spiral into rock bottom eventually toward the end of the book. I feel particularly connected to this aspect of Theo, because I have tried some ways to escape my reality and avoid the responsibilities of life. But there will always come a moment when those decisions will turn its back on you. My analogy of the book is that although life may be cruel, there will always be a way to break out of the bad habits and truly get to appreciate and enjoy life as it was meant to be.

I am unusual from the rest of the individuals in my age group. Unlike others, I don’t have a clear vision of what I would like to be in the future. My mental health issues made me lose the motivation to pursue the passions that will make my future worthwhile. Recently though, I have started to tell myself positive affirmations in order to have better hope for my future, even though I am unsure. Every day I tell myself that I am beautiful and capable of anything no matter what anyone says. The beauty standard has made me insecure of myself and pressured me and many people to look a certain way in order to be deemed acceptable women in society. Despite not having most of these features, being unique is an amazing thing. Many people struggle with self-confidence and one word of advice I have to give is something I told myself long ago. People are going to judge you no matter what you wear, what you look like, and how you act. Everyone has a different perception of you, so it is impossible to become a “perfect” version of yourself to please others. The best thing to do in life is to be yourself. Even though there are millions of people that have the same job, same ethnicity, and same interests as you, you are unique and it is important to embrace that. You are wanted by many people despite what others tell you, and your existence has impacted people’s lives much more than you think. I have struggled with depression and anxiety for about 7 years, and I can say all these things according to my experiences. Some days I feel on the top of the world, and others I feel like it is crashing down on me. The most important thing is teaching myself that life is going to get better no matter what. This is because in the future, nothing is truly certain. There is no way to predict the future so why worry about things that aren’t real yet? Although I truly don’t have a passion in my life as of now, I can attest that it will come soon. Making people happy, hanging out with my friends, and talking with my family is what helps me cope with my mental illness. These things distract me and my friends are always there for me. I know that I can count on them, and my family, no matter what is happening in my life. Remember that there will always be people that are there for you, no matter how insignificant you may think you are. You always mean something to somebody in this world, sometimes you may not know it yet.

I have had mental health problems since I was in middle school. Getting out of bed, paying attention in class, and going to bed early are arduous tasks for me. To others without the struggles, those are simple things to be done without a second thought. Over the years, however, I put importance on appreciating the little fragments of my life. For instance, that grueling Monday work day becomes a bit more tolerable if you look forward to the delicious hash brown and scrambled egg combo you get at McDonald’s. If that isn’t enough, look forward to being able to relax at the end of the day, fully immersing yourself in an interesting book. There are a lot of things to look forward to in life that just require an adjustment in perspective. A lot of individuals say that only the big accomplishments are worthy of being noted, but I believe that the little things in life are what makes life truly worthwhile. We are here to have a good time, and why not cherish every minute of it? Getting up in the morning and smelling the steamy, warm eggs is what really gets my day started on a positive note. When I go outside, some of my favorite things to do is to look up at the sky and see if the clouds make up any specific shapes and if the flowers are growing with their vibrant colors. I also love drawing scenery and try to harmonize the different parts of the scene. To some people these are childish antics, but to me this is what living really is. Appreciation doesn’t have to be something mind-boggling. The simple things in life is what makes life easier; it reminds us that everything will be alright.

I believe one of the biggest problems in the world today is society’s inability to band together when it comes to solving issues that involve individuals; specifically, ones that are often neglected. When I was younger I understood firsthand the life of an outcast, especially in school. Coming from Panama, a primarily Spanish-speaking country, it was hard for me to communicate with other kids in school. It took me about 3 years to be able to understand English to the extent that I do now and this is because of the friends that I made throughout the years and the other people I communicated with that propelled me to flourish in understanding the language to a better extent. The ability to band together with other people is a powerful one that can extinguish any potential issues that the world has. Society today is growing ever more advanced with its technological and vernacular aspect, and today more than ever we need to gather up the strength and communicate with each other about issues affecting not just our country, our America, but other countries such as Cameroon and Iraq who are going through internal disputes. From the time we start to grow our wings and fly into adulthood, we are taught that there is rarely anyone that takes the time our of their day to help us with something. Another issue that this can be attributed to is the prevalence of social media. With social media, more and more individuals are convinced that there is a cookie cutter way to get things done, and that the only way is by accomplishing it ourselves or else it has no value. Teaming up with others is seen as a liability rather than an asset because of social media and the way people present themselves.

In my high school english class, it was the first time I’ve heard the saying “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. I struggled with insecurity ever since my late years of middle school. Beauty standards were ingrained within me before I even realized the consequences of not looking, thinking, and acting like everyone else. I couldn’t change the way I looked and that upset me more than anything. I just wanted to be someone likable and I couldn’t be because I fit in the definition of being “weird” and “different”. When you are young you don’t fully understand that being different is the reason you are unique, and being unique is special. People in the past, like Albert Einstein and Galileo Galilei, went against the norm and saw the beauty in the strange and abnormal, that is how they became renowned figures in society today. What I realized recently is that everyone sees beauty in something different. One person might be attracted to the elegance of a sunset than the vastness of the ocean and vice-versa. This can be said about people as well. An individual can be seen beautiful to one person and mediocre to another. A mother’s infant is the most beautiful thing in the world while a homeless man thinks his dog covered in mud is worth more than all the diamonds in the world combined. If we apply this idea to every single person on the planet, then it means that everyone is beautiful because there will always be an individual that will see the beauty inside of someone else. Just because someone doesn’t fit inside the standard that society poses upon us, that doesn’t mean that they are worth any less than a person who does. Everyone is beautiful in their own right.

For years I have struggled to find my identity because I have moved from Panama, a primarily Spanish-speaking country, when I barely finished kindergarten. I couldn’t grasp the type of person I was and who I would be in the future. Until I read about Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales one evening. He was a Chicano (Mexican-American) activist who lead the Crusade for Justice which fought for the social, political, and economic rights for all Chicanos and the Latino community alike during the 1960’s. Learning about Gonzales that evening changed my perception of the world forever. I realized that there are other people that feel the same way as me, alienated in a place that was unknown to them, until they fought for a place that accepted them. Even today in 2021 there are racial issues, but one thing that doesn’t change is that no matter what generation it is, people still continue fighting for what is right. Gonzales showed me that there is still hope for not just the Hispanic/Latino community but for all minorities. It is because people will always fight for what is right until they obtain a peace of mind.