I can describe my mental health in two words. Mental hell. My mind is constantly working against me, and for a while it worked to find ways to end me. Sometimes it’s like a piece of my brain doesn’t even belong to me and it causes me to make decisions I wouldn’t usually make or say things I would never say. It was frustrating when it first began because my lack of mental health or understanding what it really was led me to question what I believed in constantly. I remember thinking that if God was real why did he let me go through the things I had been going through. I also remember being angry that killing myself was a sin. I didn’t understand why I had to live a life I didn’t want. Now I am grateful that I had that in place to stop me. My depression also made me push important people away from me. My favorite person in this entire world is my sister. She taught me how to read, write, count, ride my bike, and many more things that I will forever be grateful for. However, when I was depressed, it was like I couldn’t see those things anymore. I still looked up to her of course, but none of that mattered when I was angry and sad about my life. I pushed her away and it damaged our relationship for a long time. Her forgiveness and patience with me, while I have been trying to bring myself back to the person I once was, has been everything and I hope that one day I can return the favor. Since my sophomore year of high school, I had not been planning to make it past high school. So, when the time for me to be ready for my future came, I realized I didn’t know what I wanted that to be because I was no longer interested in the career path I had chosen when I was much younger, and I was too busy trying to make it through each day without making it my last to focus on years from now. So, I began to scramble to push pieces together and figure out who I was and what I was good at. Ironically, I decided I wanted to be a therapist. I’ve always been the friend that others come to when they want to talk, and I liked that. It’s easier to talk about other people's problems, it helps you find ways to conquer your own without having to talk about it directly and most importantly, I could help people like me. People who struggle against their own mind every day, but still want nothing more than to be successful. Thank you for your consideration, Kariya Morings

On September 24th 0f last year I realized I was six months away from turning eighteen. The thought of that made me cry. I hadn’t been prepared for adulthood, I hadn’t experienced my teenage years the way I always imagined I would, and to be honest I was just deeply unhappy with my life and who I had become. That very same night I made a list of all the things I would begin doing so that I could be more satisfied with my life. Wake up earlier, start doing yoga, develop a skincare routine, change my diet, read more and etc., The list was extensive, and I changed a lot about my daily schedule. I began waking up at five every morning and as a result of that I would go to sleep earlier every night. Sleeping well would put me in a better mood for the next day and would allow me to focus on my tasks for the day. Maintaining all these new habits began to change a lot about my perspective on life. I became more grateful about everything around me, and I started reading up on all those books that either gave you existential crisis or helped you see the world in a new light. I became happier than I had ever been, and I have come to realize that it wasn’t the actions themself that made me happier, it was the discipline and self-love I learned through performing the actions. That is why a healthy lifestyle is important to me, because I experienced firsthand how it changes the way you view your life.

My definition of Black Girl Magic is to show recognition to black women's ability to rise above despite the discrimination we face everyday and sometimes even in our own community. Black women have been stereotyped to be so many negative things such as angry, aggressive, ugly, and/ or stupid. And nothing could be further from the truth, black women are kindest, smartest and in my opinion most accomplished. It is hard for black women everywhere and we still constantly find ways to rise above and break barriers. And although many other races and people have the same types of accomplishments they did not receive the same amount of discrimination and prejudice. Many people don’t understand why every accomplishment in the black community is commemorated but, it’s because not even that long ago a lot of the things we accomplish daily wouldn’t have been possible. So yes we cheer and shout and dance at every graduation, birthday, wedding, and especially when a family member makes it big. Black excellence is more than wanting to succeed as black person yourself. It’s wanting every other black person you know to succeed as well because you know that means you are succeeding together. And the most important thing is for us to be united. Empowering black people is important. As a black person I feel the most powerful when I know others in my community are standing behind me. I think that is important for all of us. Whether it be when we want to accomplish something new, or going to a new environment, or simply showing up for one another when times are tough. Empowerment can be shown through many branches of love and it is one of my favorite ways to extend strength. However the key principal to empowerment is respect. The best way to show someone that you are there for them and that you care about them, is to show them respect. Especially when they are doing something you don’t agree with or understand because that is when people know that you truly plan to stand beside them. You have to allow people to be different in order to empower them. Everyday I empower people by embracing people for who they are instead of who society wants them to be because I know I will need someone to do the same for me. Thank you for your consideration, Kariya Morings

One thing that gives me hope for the future is the social awareness that is happening in society as of right now. Although, I know it can have many downsides, it has the same amount if not more upsides, especially for people who are usually discriminated and disrespected on a day to day basis. Many people dislike the amount of accountability it forces them to have since more people are learning about what is politically and socially correct. I have witnessed first hand how social awareness can be positive. One day I was at school, which is predominately white, and I was called a racial slur. I was baffled and unable to speak up for myself because of my shock. However, I didn't need to because not even a moment later multiple people were coming to my defense, and many of them were not even the same color as me. Those kinds of people are important, people who stand up for others when they know something is wrong. I truly believe that if we did not have this climate of social awareness going on then those people wouldn't have been able to understand why that was so upsetting, but because we do, they did understand and that gesture restored my faith in humanity. Social awareness is not something that should be frowned upon or looked down upon. It gives people like me a sense of security that we never had before and I'll be grateful to see more of it. That way more people can feel safe and loved when people come to their defense against people who chose to be ignorant. Social awareness is important and I am glad to be a part of it and I can't wait to see how it molds the world into a much better place.

There is a book called 'the alchemist' that teaches people life lessons. I didn't read it because I want to be a philosophy major, or not even because I want to be the wisest person in the world. No, it was nothing like that, I simply read it because one of my favorite artists said that all her fans should read the book. So of course, like a sheep I read the book because that's what people in my generation do (listening to any and everything celebrities say). I knew there was a large possibility that I wouldn't like the book. Except I did. I read the entire thing in one day. There was a boy in the book and he wanted to find a treasure, he began to receive all these signs from the universe about what he should do and he began to do them. One of the lessons the boy learns while he is on this journey is that the fear of doing something, is much worse than actually doing it. It took me five minutes of staring at a wall and contemplating the meaning of that to decide that I wanted to start living my life with that mindset. And I have been, and it has made things so much better for me. Changing the way I thought about fear changed many aspects of my life and made every day just a little brighter.

I have stayed optimistic through tough times by relying on my family and friends. It was that simple for me and I am deeply grateful for that. Many people have a much harder time remaining optimistic during tough times. However, it was easier for me because whenever I would need a pick me up they were always there to make me laugh or to rectify hard situations. It was harder to stay as optimistic during Covid-19 when I couldn't see my friends as much, but my mind was put at ease when I could all them and we could talk for however long I wanted. Having these kind, loving an forgiving people by mys side during hard times made it easier to cope and it has also taught me that you can not take the people you love for granted because you never know when you'll need them to pick you up and help you world start spinning again.

Clearing my mind has always been hard. Usually I’ll try to meditate and shut everything out for a few minutes but, a few seconds later I’ll hear the microwave beep, or the dog down the street barking and then inevitably I get distracted by my phone. I tried yoga, and I even tried working out, which many people with recommend but I always end up even more stressed out, because now I’m focused on how weak my arms feel or how out of breathe, or how much more fit the girl next to me is who has probably been working out many more years than I have. I had to learn the hard way that when it comes to clearing your mind the technique you use is going to be unique to who you are. For me, many things contributed to why I couldn’t clear my mind such as, a poor sleep schedule, a terrible diet, and being an anxiety induced overthinker. I’ve learned to start going to sleep at a reasonable time and starting to incorporate more nutritious food into what I eat regularly. However I quickly learned that being an overthinker was my biggest problem and it was beginning to become detrimental to my goals. Overthinking has led me to deciding against doing things I enjoy and it also leaves me in a constant state of worry. The best thing that helps me deal with it, as odd as it is, is pacing. For some reason it allows my thoughts to declutter and helps me clear my mind. I’ve done research on it and I was told by numerous sites that it helps to ease anxiety, which many teens have. If I need to deal with the details of any issue personal, or school related, then I begin to pace until I find a solution. One issue I do have with pacing is that sometimes it makes people uncomfortable and paranoid. They might even question your sanity, because after a while it does begin to look funny. So a tip I have is to either do it in the comfort of your own private space, or do it around people who want the best for you and understand what you need to do for your own comfort. There is nothing wrong with needing to clear your mind differently than others do, and that is something I had to learn. Even now, I am continuing to learn new ways to clear my mind and calm myself and each method is good for different reasons.

The wisest thing I've ever heard came from a cousin of mine. My cousin has many children, and she is raising them to be the best people I know. One day two of them were arguing, the oldest girl and the oldest boy, and the boy told his sister that she could not play the video game he was playing because she was girl. This obviously upset her because she knew she could play the game just as well as he did, and she started yelling at him. The yelling went on for a couple minutes and gained the attention of their mother and she asked her daughter why she was yelling. She responded that her brother told her she couldn't do something because she was a girl. My cousin then replied to her that all she had to do was show him that she could. It was that simple. If someone says you can't do something than prove to them that you can and let them put their foots in their mouth. Her daughter took the game from him and started playing with a renewed determination, and in the end she proved to her brother that she not only could play the game just as well as he could, but better.

1. Reading - It allows me to escape to another world, and to look at life from many perspectives. 2. Taking Walks- I walk to school every morning and home every afternoon, and it is one of my most enjoyed times of day. I use those twenty minutes to be mindful and take in the world around me. 3. Groceries- Every week my mom comes home with groceries, and I appreciate all the things that she buys that I know are specifically for me, and that she would never eat. 4. The Early Morning- The time of day that no one is up, and the world is quiet, and I can sit in peace. 5. Opportunities- I find new chances to try and experience new things that I would never think I would be able to try. 6. Seeing my sister- It is rare that I get to see her in person now so when I do it makes me very happy. My sister is my biggest supporter, and I am hers, even if she doesn't know it. 7. Someone laughing at a joke I made- I am constantly making corny dad jokes, so when someone laughs it brightens my day. I have written seven simple pleasures of mine (my sister says seven is a lucky number) there are many more things just like these that I am grateful for as well.

Hi, I am Kariya Morings. I grew up in a very small town, where people were small minded. This town implemented so many versions of how I was supposed to look, act and think into my adolescent brain that I always thought there was something wrong with me. For years I have been hating myself because I was always told that I was supposed to be another way. I was black, I was female, and the scariest of all, I was gay. I hadn't come out yet (I actually still haven't) but there was so much commentary and homophobia that I was scared out of it, and it has stayed with me even after I have moved. It has been hard to move past what I was taught about right and wrong, when the people who taught me, it thought it was coming from a place of love and thought they were shaping me to be better. But learning that their version of right was wrong for me was the best thing I had ever done for myself. I read many books about psychology and about the way our environments shape us. I got down to the root of every thought that I was wrong for being who I am and overtime I found a love for becoming the best version of myself, and I'm still working towards that now. With this love however, came a desire to help people. So, I started to dig into careers, to see which fit that passion best and I became drawn to the idea of becoming a therapist. I read about all the ways that they helped people heal, grieve and learn how to live and I knew I wanted to be a part of that. I want to use my degree to help people learn how to be kind themselves. I want to help people break generational trauma. And most importantly I want to help people become the best versions of themself.

"Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it."- Maya Angelou To me this quote means that, you can't let other people measure if you're successful or not. It means that it doesn't matter how other people see you, but how you see yourself. It tell me that I should be the version of me that I see. Not the version my parents, or siblings, or classmates and friends see. It says to me that I should be myself, make my own decisions and be proud of whatever I decide. And this quote is special to me because I've constantly heard how other people think I should live my life, or where I should go to college, or the career path that I should take. But they've already lived their lives and it's my turn now and I want to do the best I can with mine. This quote reminds me that my life is mine alone and that as long as I'm happy nothing else matters.

My utopian vision for optimal mental health in the black community is that in the future black people will be able to move past and grow from generational trauma. Black people have been taught that they must work harder than anyone else, that is engraved in our DNA due to slavery. Black people feel they must work constantly to prove themselves, and never take time for mental health. Today black parents stress work ethic because they want to disprove negative stereotypes stipulated among black children. Along with the continuous hard work pushed upon children is the misconception that black women cannot feel pain. Although the idea of the ‘strong black woman’ is meant to be uplifting, it actually does more harm than good. Black women are less likely to receive pain medication due to the fact that many white people in the medical field believe nineteenth century myths that black people have less sensitive nerve endings and thicker skin etc. If this fallacy exists in the medical field, then it is more than likely to be the same psychology. I firmly believe that black patients need black doctors. Especially in dealing with mental health and awareness, because in most cases a white doctor would not understand the generational traumas that have been passed down in the black community. However a black doctor who had to deal with the same issues would further understand their patients' mentality. Better mental health can help achieve social justice in the black community by helping us better understand as a whole, how we deserve to be treated. People outside of our community have discriminated against black people for years and that probably won’t stop anytime soon. However if we can stop the prejudices in our own community by pointing them out and finding where they come from we should do that. These prejudices include but are not limited to colorism and texturism. Many young black kids are often worried that they are too dark, or their curls are too tight because they hear detrimental notions about what is accepted and what is deemed to be beautiful from their own families. If we work together as a community we can achieve better mental health and move towards black solidarity. Once the issues within us are solved we can accomplish anything together, but first we need to take a step back and think about what it truly means to be mentally healthy.