Hi my name is Kayden and all my life I have struggled with social anxiety. Going to the store or even out in public alone is difficult. When I was young, I would get shy and shut down even when my mom would just record me. I just now recently started to get over that fear. Having social anxiety stops me from doing an everyday activity. I could not present in class or even make new friends. When I was young, I would only stay with my parents and not really talk to people my age. As I get older, I am now needing to do certain things to get me through classes to pass, such as needing to present and work with people I do not know or have not talked to much. I have started talking to new people and making new friends. I still get super anxious outside and before I must talk to someone. This is still a struggle today. When I go out in public my heart races and I am now only focused on the things around me. This makes me forget what I needed to do or get, I start to get into my head. It has really taken a toll on my mental health because I think maybe something is wrong with me. Yet I have come to the understanding that I am not the only person who goes through the struggle. To get over these obstacles I listen to music and sometimes I will practice before I do whatever I am doing. The problem I have the most time struggling with is talking to people I do not know what to do or say and do not want to come off as rude or annoying. I get very self concious while presenting or just simply needing to ask someone a question. In primary school I was bullied heavily on how I looked or what I did, this is a memory that I think about a lot. I have a problem with rejection and always second guessing myself. I am very indecisive e because I do not want to be judged on how I view or deal with things. Always living in a constant state of fear and embarrassment is hard and not fun to deal with. I always text my friends and ask them if they can come and join me to go to the store or just call them, so I am not alone and have something to distract myself but if nobody can, I will just end up not going. That is the worst thing I could ever think about doing. I love going places and doing things but just not alone. It would be so bad that I would not even go out to outings and gatherings. Social events are hard for me as well. I have been trying hard to get over this fear and it has been going very well. I recently did two presentations and it was not as difficult as I thought it would have been. I was not as nervous and having people just listen and not judge was the best feeling to have. This made me have some sort of reassurance. I also have invited people to sit with me at lunch that have sat alone because they deserve to sit with someone as well, especially if they are new. I have gone to the store and ordered my own food at places without completely freaking out. It feels way better to be calm and collective rather than being anxious and frantic.

One of my most meaningful experiences was when I told my parents I got accepted into two colleges. When I received my college acceptance letter, I was overwhelmed with a mix of relief, pride, and anticipation. But the moment I told my parents, their reaction was something I’ll never forget. They both hugged me, which is odd because we aren't very affectionate, and they told me how proud they were of me. My parents never got the opportunity to go to college, so seeing me succeed in this is exciting for them. I never thought I would be making it this far in life, but they raised me to always be confident in myself. Beyond pride, there was a sense of hope. My parents understood that college could open doors for me that had been closed to them. They saw possibilities: a stable career, financial independence, and the chance to do meaningful work in the world. And they were excited not just for what I would become, but for how I could help others—maybe even one day support them, give back to our community, or inspire my younger siblings. I know it is a cliche thing, but my parents are my superheroes. Through every struggle in life, to every triumph, they were the ones who stuck by me. They have taught me everything I know, and how to become a better person. When I was at my lowest, they saved me. They hold a special place in my life because they raised me and cared for me. Their sacrifices, whether it was working long hours, giving up personal dreams, or staying up late to support me through school, have shown me the true meaning of unconditional love. They’ve taught me the importance of resilience, humility, and kindness, not just through words, but through their everyday actions. I admire them deeply, and I carry their values with me in everything I do. No matter how I acted, they have never given up on me, which means a lot to me as it would to anyone. No matter how difficult life has been, they’ve always put my needs before their own, working hard to give me opportunities they never had. Going through anxiety and depression issues, they gave me the best support they could at all times, even if I acted out of spite towards them. As a first-generation student, it is kind of difficult and stressful because I don't have much help with things. My parents barely know any of the requirements I need to meet, as well as how to apply to colleges and scholarships. It is a bit confusing to them. So we have all been learning along the way.

All my life, I have struggled with social anxiety. Going to the store or even out in public alone is difficult. When I was young, I would get shy and shut down even when my mom would just record me. I just recently started to get over that fear. Having social anxiety stops me from doing everyday activities. I couldn’t present in class or even make new friends. When I was young, I would only stay with my parents and not talk to people my age. As I get older, I am now needing to do certain things to get me through classes to pass, such as needing to present and work with people I don’t know or have not talked to much. I have started talking to new people and making new friends. I still get super anxious outside, and before I can talk to someone. This is still a struggle today. When I go out in public, my heart races, and I am now only focused on the things around me. This makes me forget what I needed to do or get, I start to get into my head. It has taken a toll on my mental health because I think maybe something is wrong with me. Yet I have come to the understanding that I am not the only person who goes through the struggle. To get over these obstacles, I listen to music, and sometimes I will practice before I do whatever I am doing. The problem I have the most time struggling with is talking to people, I don’t know what to do or say, and don’t want to come off as rude or annoying. I get very self-conscious while presenting or just simply needing to ask someone a question. In primary school, I was bullied heavily on how I looked or what I did, this is a memory that I think about a lot. I have a problem with rejection and always second-guessing myself. I am very indecisive because I don’t want to be judged on how I view or deal with things. Always living in a constant state of fear and embarrassment is hard and not fun to deal with. I always text my friends and ask them if they can come and join me to go to the store, or just call them, so I am not alone and have something to distract myself, but if nobody can, I will just end up not going. That is the worst thing I could ever think about doing. I love going places and doing things, but just not alone. It would be so bad that I would not even go out to outings and gatherings. Social events are hard for me as well. I have been trying hard to get over this fear, and it has been going very well. I recently did two presentations, and it was not as difficult as I thought it would be. I was not as nervous, and having people just listen and not judge was the best feeling to have. This gave me some sort of reassurance. I have also invited people to sit with me at lunch who have sat alone because they deserve to sit with someone as well, especially if they are new. I have gone to the store and ordered my food at places without completely freaking out. It feels way better to be calm and collective rather than being anxious and frantic.