Staying true to myself starts with the investment of my mental health. My life consists of nurturing my mind, soul, and body - this is how I stay true to myself in my daily life. Taking frequent breaks and understanding my state of being at any given moment is imperative toward staying true to myself. This decision came about as I found that the world around me had was way too influential on my daily life and routines, that I began was losing myself through all the clicks and likes of social media. Being influenced to "stay relevant" and keep up with trends that didn't correlate with who I felt I was becoming. I stay true to myself by canceling the everyday noise and looking inward. I want to be remembered as a person who changed the world for the better, not as a person who followed harrowing fads. If there is any advice, I could ever give to someone about staying true to their self - is to take care of home first. Not the physical representation of a building, but rather your literal body and your beautiful soul within.

I attended Foothill High school in Pleasanton, CA; a school that was predominately white students. I was one of the few Black students at the school, thus my experience with microaggressions is plentiful. There, I came up against the deficit thinking complex - where they assume that I am naturally less smart. Throughout my entire high school career at this school, not one teacher talked to me about the importance of higher education but one. Mrs. O'neil. I credit her for getting me into college and instilling something I never learned or felt at that school; hope. It was a month before I graduated high school. I still had not applied for and colleges/universities nor did I know that I missed the application deadlines for almost every institution in the United States. One day, I was talking about it to one of my classmates in her class, thus disrupting class and not paying attention. Mrs. O'neil overheard the conversation and told me two things: 1) stop talking in her class and pay attention 2) She was shocked to hear me say such a thing, seeing how I had missed the deadline for almost every higher education institution. I explained to her that I was a first-generation student as my parents did not go to college. Suddenly the room became quiet, and everyone was staring at me as if I had misspoken. Mrs. O'neil immediately stopped the class and told me "Kevin. Get out of my classroom right now, go to the front office inside the career center and apply for either Ohlone Community College or Los Positas Community College... now!" I was stunned, embarrassed, and slightly confused. At the time, I was thankful yet hurt that she had embarrassed me. Now, I am only grateful. She wrote me a hall pass and called our high school's career center and told them "do not let him leave until he's finishes everything". Four years later, I am about to graduate next year from Cal Poly Pomona and will be applying for Ph.D. programs this fall. It is because of Mrs. O'neil, that I am who I am today. Such a small moment had such a profound impact on my life. Thank you, Mrs. O'neil. I hope she knows, how much she means to me, I hope that she is proud of me, I hope.

My biggest role model in life is Cameron Boyce, he was an actor known for his roles in numerous Disney content and series. Not only was he a great actor, but he had a beautiful soul. As a philanthropist, he prided himself on donating to end deforestation, to eradicate homelessness and he absolutely loved volunteering. Unfortunately, he died July 6, 2019, due to an epileptic seizure; he was 20 years old. I always had in mind that no matter what, one day I just had to meet him and work with him. Currently, I am a part-time Registered Behavior Therapist. However, I'm more known for being an actor, writer, and model. I give this credit to him. Growing up, I thought I wanted to do theatre, I was always so excited when I got on stage to act in front of a crowd. Cameron Boyce is the reason why I decided to venture into film and television. Oddly enough, it wasn't because I wanted to do film or TV but rather simply because I wanted to meet and be friends with Cameron. I began to take television and film acting classes and soon after I signed with my agent; Talent+Plus Agency in San Francisco, CA. Since signing to my agent, I have done numerous commercials, industrials, print ads, and have starred in one film and one short film. This was my new career and I was so excited that I was getting closer to my goal of meeting Cameron Boyce. At this point in time, it was December 2018. I just finished filming a commercial for a local coffee shop in San Francisco and was excited about my upcoming spring semester in college. However, I began getting frustrated at some of the issues here on campus, I noticed that every time students asked for something, we were ignored by the college administration. I noticed on our college's website that it showed the Board of Trustees for the college district was meeting at our campus in a week. I took this as a sign to address our issues. Along with a friend, at that board meeting, we protested the college's administration for inept ability to address student issues such as gun control on campus. I was so proud, that I decided to message Cameron about it on Twitter. He did not follow me, therefore I did not expect a response. To my surprise, within two hours he responded and told me that "we need more people like you in government". I was stunned, my idol just noticed me, my role model just validated me. Government. Something I had never considered before as a career path but was something I was thrust into after being pushed to run for a seat on the same board of Trustees that I just protested. On June 2, 2019, I was sworn in as the first Black Student Trustee and the second Black trustee of the Ohlone Community College District, Board of Trustees. 4 days later, Cameron Boyce suddenly passed away. After serving my one year term on the board, I decided to not run for a full four-year term. I was proud of the work I did but I also wanted to shift my gears to better prepare myself for my new career goal; government. Although the board of trustees is considered a local government, I wanted to make sure I finished college before ever running for office again. The experience I have received from acting has made me personable and able to truly listen to what people are saying. My experience from being on the Board of Trustees gave me the ability to fight for people and to trust myself even when others doubt me. It would be a lie, to say that Cameron Boyce had no part of this; if it wasn't for him I would have never begun acting nor ran for that seat. He has added purpose to my life, as I want to follow in his footsteps as a philanthropist and activist myself. I believe giving back and helping people is the best way to unlock the human potential for good. I also believe that the right to education is a human and civil right. This is why I want to pursue a career in government; because I want to help people and stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. It's what Cameron would have done, it is what I will get done. My current goal is a lofty goal; I want to serve as a United States Senator in the U.S. Senate because I believe that we need more humanitarians in office and fewer politicians. Next year, I will be applying to Ph.D. programs to pursue a doctorate in Ethnic Studies/Culture and Theory, so that I may continue "the education of people" as my professor describes it. My role model has had a profound significance in my life and I truly do not know where I'd be without Cameron Boyce. I hope one day to be a role model to others as I continue on the path of love and everything right in the world.

My top three favorite money-savers are Honey, nerd wallet, and various business tiktokers (such as @renelacad , @thalialeblanc , and @sarafinance). I use honey to save me money on the websites I use to shop, I use nerd wallet to help me budget and prioritize my finances, and I watch various tiktokers (like the ones I named above) who give advice on budgeting, saving money for college, and even saving money to buy your first apartment!

This is the picture of my first day as President of the new Black Student Union (BSU) on my college campus. I found that my fellow Black students felt unwelcomed, out of place, and felt no sense of community on campus. I decided that if no one was going to help our community, then I would. I created the BSU to be a welcoming space full of love, academic support, and most importantly a place that could be apart of our community. This photo now represents the day that our Black student population finally had a home on campus.

My name is Kevin Courtney Black - I am a student at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. I am pursuing a career in public health because I am determined to increase the number of Black and Brown people in the public health sector. Currently, I work as a Registered Behavior Therapist (RBT) specializing in behavioral and cognitive treatment to children affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Also, I work part-time as a writer covering topics regarding race, gender, and social class in the United States. As a strong ally for expanding healthcare to all and combating public health discrimination towards people of color and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, I have a lofty goal of becoming a United States Senator. My current major is Gender, Ethnic, Multicultural Studies. I chose this major as a means to reinforce my dedication to public health and safety. I believe that we have too many people in office who do not understand the basics of healthcare nor have a fundamental understanding of race and ethnicity in the United States. I plan to achieve enlightenment in the area of healthcare discrimination, specifically for the trans people of color community. I believe that this change needs to begin at the federal and state level to see any real and tangible improvement in this field. Furthermore, I plan to expand my education and earn my Ph.D. in either Ethnic Studies or Culture and Theory. Both disciplines are essential for my career trajectory as a fighter for healthcare at the federal level, not against it. I also want to bring more hospitals and healthcare job opportunities to the Black community. We have a right to be reflected everywhere we go whether that is; school, college, library, government, or in the healthcare field. I want to emphasize this; we need to emphasize this. I am driven by this. These issues have been going on for decades. I believe this issue and the culture of disbelieving Black women is precisely what happened to Serena Williams and my grandmother. My grandmother was in the hospital for two days - then they forced her to leave, citing that she was "overexaggerating" about her symptoms of dizziness, fatigue, low energy, loss of balance, and shortness of breath. She was rushed back to the hospital the next morning and died an hour later. This is the reality of the current healthcare and medical culture and system; these are the issues I must address. It is not fair nor equal that Black women die at alarming rates due to childbirth compared to a white woman. I believe that; we need to pass more legislation and work with the private health care sector to eradicate such prejudice and implicit bias in this system. Furthermore, I want to address pay disparities in the healthcare field among Black and Brown people. Fair wages and benefits are a healthcare issue when we operate on a capitalist system that focuses on money rather than people. Thus, improving these allocations for our healthcare workers are essential to improving the foundation of the public health sector. Thank you for reading, and I hope you will consider me!

Add a little splash of COVID-19 for a little razzle dazzle. My Instagram is @KevinCoBlack

In 2018, I was involved in a horrific car accident, which later contributed to the diagnosis that I have PTSD and an Anxiety Disorder. At the time it happened, I was battling clinical depression and self-harm. It was a battle I expected to lose. A battle that led to my suicide attempt in my bedroom. Stifled by my self-inflicted pain, I would cry every day for weeks and every day, I would use my body as a canvas to carve out how I feel. Or rather, to remind myself how I should feel, using the natural red ink that my canvas exuded upon the drag of my sharp tool. This was it. This was my rock bottom with no way out; I was doing awful in my classes, I hated my job, my parents were disappointed in me, and my friends didn’t know how to talk to me anymore. The only way out of this vast ocean of sorrow was to float to the top of the water. As I laid on my bed, contemplating my next attempt to end my life; something hit me. I needed to start a personal essay for my English class or else I would fail the course. The prompt was “hope.” Just that. This word had been barred from my head for so long that the meaning was almost unrecognizable. How could I do an essay on a word that signified everything that I didn’t have? I didn’t do anything for a few hours but, as the midnight deadline came closer, I grew angrier at myself as if I was broken. I was broken. At this point, I had already decided that I didn’t want to see any therapist or talk about my feelings with anyone. “They wouldn’t understand,” I thought to myself. Looking at the clock there were two hours left to finish the essay. I decided to sit at my desk in hopes that I would feel more motivated to answer the prompt, I did not. I could not. I will not answer the prompt, instead, I decided to answer why I could not answer the prompt. I must have been shaking because within an hour of writing, I had already finished all five pages; single-spaced. I turned it in and went to sleep. I don’t remember exactly how I felt while writing that essay, but what I do remember was the indescribable sensation I felt when I woke up; hope. I started to feel hope again. Everything in my life came crashing down with no way out, yet here I was with hope in my heart and motivation in my brain. The weight of a thousand planets was finally lifted off my shoulder, but I knew it wouldn’t last. I wanted it to last. I decided to finally make the call and schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist. Through working with her, I overcame my suicidal tendencies and my clinical depression while also battling my new PTSD and Anxiety disorder diagnosis. I credit all the progress to her, but she credits it to my professor. She told me that if it wasn’t for that Professor, I may not have let out what was keeping me from moving forward all along. The lesson I would learn from this will follow me for the rest of my life. I learned that I don’t have to face things on my own, that my friends and family are there to support me, that I can do good in school when I am real with myself and the Professor, and most importantly I learned that my life is worth fighting for. Thank you, and I hope you will consider me.