When I was in elementary school, I realized that I was having a difficult time reading and keeping up with my friends. My teacher would assign small increments for us to read but I just seemed to read too slow for me to stay with the class. I then was assigned to go to a speech therapist in my school. When all the kids were reading or learning about vowels I would be sent to an office and practice my words. My mom thought that it comes with age but over time we both realized that I was not performing at the level I should be. I worked hard to keep up in my English classes all my life. In high school I was able to be placed in an honor roll English class, but I realized that something was wrong because I still struggled. I finally got diagnosed with dyslexia my junior year of high school and that was shocking. Here I thought that I was not smart enough when in reality, I had a learning disability that caused me to struggle more. Prior to being diagnosed I was persistent on not falling behind and showing people I was smart enough to be in the hard classes. I knew I belonged and never lost hope in proving myself that I was right.

Mental health is a tough subject in my life but very important. I, to this day, struggle with my mental health especially now in college. Where it feels like I have all this weight on my shoulders. I am a first-generation college student, who is a student-athlete and must fully pay for her own schooling. It's a continuous battle of trying to be happy and enjoy the college experience or work, study, practice just to make it in life. I live in a household where mental illness is pushed aside because there is this mindset of “never my kid.” I first started to realize something was wrong when my dad left. I could not seem to pick myself up by myself. I struggled to get out of bed and participate in basic life activities. I cried many nights wanting to be happy not knowing what was happening to me. I wanted to be myself again. I wanted to be that little girl who was carefree, but she was gone. At the age of ten the bright girl was stripped of her shine. I tried everything to get that smile back on my face, but it hurt. My body felt numb, and my mind was hazy all the time. The worst part was knowing that this affected people around me. I separated myself from my family and just tried to be an outcast. I honestly never looked for help until it got even worse, and it was time that I reached for a hand trying to help. Now, being a college student, I have healed from my past, but it still sticks with me. I had a hard first semester at my D1 NAIA college playing basketball because my coach would mentally break us down. It was a continuous pain to go to basketball but that was the only way I could afford school. I slowly realized I was losing myself again and not enjoying life anymore. From my past experiences, I decided to transfer even though I knew I would not be getting a good scholarship, but I realized my mental health is a priority. I need to be able to choose myself sometimes. I started to understand how vulnerable our mental health is, and it has guided me through a ton of hardships. I base everything I do on how it makes me feel. Does it bring me warmth, or do I sit and overthink? I strive to minimize being sad but push myself to feel uncomfortable. I do not want this to take control of my life again. Not only have I learned to take control, but I learned to be gentle. I look at life as a precious journey with many experiences that create memories. I learned to be kind to everyone and make sure I check up on my friends. Not everyone understood what I was going through, and I know I do not understand what my friends are going through. It helps me become a better friend and person by knowing that people can put a fake smile on their face even when they are in pain. I give more patience, kindness, love, compassion and helpfulness. My goal is to be able to help people understand they are not alone. That many people have problems with their mental health and that it is okay to get help whether they think it’s necessary or not. It truly is something that affects people every day and having control over your mental health can change your life forever but it’s a journey to embrace.

My talent is basketball. I have been playing for 13 years of my life and would never trade it for anything. Basketball is a sport I gave my all into all the time and it is a passion of mine that I fell in love with. This past year I signed to play at a NAIA D1 school but after the first semester, I realized it is hard to play D1 and be a Biology major. I knew school came first so I transferred to play at a D3 school. This was the perfect case because I got to continue what I love to do while also studying for my dream job in the future. Basketball is not only a game but it takes leadership, teamwork, commitment and skill to be able to play. I get to practice these skills in the classroom by participating in class discussions or being the leader of a project. I also get to use my skills in friendships that I have made over time by committing to being friends and being kind. It taught me a lot of things that I use in my everyday life. I am now more confident in what I do because of my talent. Basketball helps me be a better person on the court and off the court.

Since when I was a little girl I knew I wanted to pursue science. I was never the greatest at English, History or any language study growing up but for some reason numbers were my friends. I understood math so easily and I could put up science equations like I have known them my whole life. They were something I excelled in all through high school and even challenged myself by taking honors Chemistry. I understood that this was something I was good at and not a lot of my classmates excelled in these fields. It became a growing passion to study science in college. I always loved hands-on learning in labs and being able to test theories. It brought me joy being able to conduct experiments because I got to see the experiment happen in front of me and it is the way I learn best. Science is a field I want to succeed in because it is used so much in our everyday life and helps change people's lives. That's why I am studying biology in college. I want to be able to help people and change lives for many. Having a biology degree I would pursue my dream goal of becoming an Orthodontist. I have had exposure in the dentistry field since I was eight years old helping my grandma at her clinic in Europe. I loved looking at my family's teeth and also playing dentist with my barbies. In the future, I hope to open my own clinic where everyone is welcomed. I want to be able to help change people's insecurity with their teeth and provide my services at a low cost for people who can not afford braces. It would bring me joy to have people smile more and not be ashamed of the way their teeth look. I have had people close to me experience not loving their smile and would never smile with their teeth in family photos because they thought they looked ugly. It breaks my heart knowing more people experience this everyday. I want to be able to change that at a place that they know they would not get judged and a place that is a safe spot for them. I want my patients to feel at home and I want my coworkers to be family to one another. It is a goal that over time will be accomplished after all the hardships and tough exams but it will all be worth it at the end of the day when I see my patients happy with the outcome.