If I were able to make a contribution to the mental health community, I would like to make it more affordable and accessible through state funding for weekly counseling and medication management as well as therapeutic exercises done once a week in a supportive community with a similar background. This would look like the state paying for those who are low-income to receive vouchers for counseling and medication management as well as housing resources in combination to receiving free counseling and medication management services. They would have a weekly hangout with others in the mental health community (with rides if necessary) to go on outings to play games, watch a movie, get their nails or hair done, go painting, etc. They would also have job-placement services all in one place, with resume building workshops and mock interviewing to help them find a job. All of this would be paid for with vouchers as well and would help those with mental health issues to feel more connected.

"Why does it matter that I learn this," exclaimed Lily, turning to her friend Martha. "Because you'll need to know this," she said and pointed at the teacher. The teacher was lecturing about quadratic equations and the importance of exponents while half of the class was asleep and the other half on their phones or chatting with their neighbors. Lily looked around, thinking to herself, if I had the chance to create a class it would be called "Finding yourself." This would be a class that was designed to help students find themselves and point them to their ideal career path through assessments, job shadowing, as well as resume building and volunteering too. Students would feel more confident stepping into the world because they would know what they wanted to study in college after taking this course. This course would empower more students to choose rewarding careers that align with their strengths and goals as well. This course would not replace their other core classes but would be an elective and graduation requirement their junior or senior year of high school. Lily smiled thinking to herself "this is a great idea," and she wholeheartedly believed that this course would help students navigate the real world, preparing them to make informed decisions about their future career because they would have a better understanding of their future goals and career ambitions. As such, Lily stopped by the principals office after class to pitch this idea to him and he was completely amazed by her idea. She had a presentation prepared and everything, showing how students who did career exploration have higher engagement levels, higher graduation levels, and are more hopeful about their future. She explained to the principal that students would greatly benefit from such a program, citing how some public entities such as the Boys and Girls Club already have similar programs and have high graduation rates, which further intrigued the principal. It was ironic how Lily brought this to his attention as he had just finished pouring over the graduation rates ans test scores for last year, preparing for a district meeting at 6 pm. "May I use this idea in my meeting," he asked her. "Yes, that would be lovely," she said enthusiastically. The principal came back to her a week later, telling her this idea was so great the whole ISD wanted to implement it into the curriculum for next year. As such, more students were motivated to come to school to learn and felt better prepared for their future as a result.