We all have that one person, thing, or event that shaped us. Mine was my sister, Juliet. When my sister was trying to commit suicide it opened my eyes to the harsh reality that you never know what someone is really going through. One minute I thought she was a perfectly normal teenager, and the next she was struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts. I discovered that mental health is a big concern and that everyone should be treated with kindness because you don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors. When I was in eighth grade, I was a typical kid. I went to school and wished my crush would talk to me. I wasn’t thinking about mental health, but that mindset changed the day I found out that my mom had brought my sister to the hospital for attempting to commit suicide. I couldn’t quite understand at the time what it meant, but I knew something was really wrong. The next thing I knew, my sister was in and out of hospitals and crying every day. The memories are a blur, but I remember hearing her cry every day in her room, while I tried to understand how her depression was making her feel this way. I would teach her card games, but soon she became dependent on playing and at a young age I struggled with balancing school and comforting her. My mom ended up kicking my sister out and that led to Juliet breaking in. She had gotten an Uber to our house, and as she banged on the windows with a mallet my heart raced. Hours later, she broke my mother’s window and came into the house as my mom and I locked ourselves in the bathroom for fear of what she’d do. When the police arrived, I saw my sister trying to cut herself with the glass shards from the broken window she came through. I think that moment changed my view on mental illness forever. Ever since then I’ve dedicated myself to being as optimistic and kind as I can. I sponsored a girl, Gorrety, in 2020 during the pandemic because I’m fortunate enough to give back. I do things as simple as reaching out to a stranger that I see on social media that is struggling. I encourage all my friend and family as they take on life. I make sure people know they have someone to talk to and that they aren’t alone. Kind words to someone can save a life. My sister, Juliet, is how mental health shaped my understanding of the world.

The change I want to see in my community, country, and the world are all relatively the same. I want to see kindness spreading like wildflowers, the earth to be taken care of, and women to be safe. Right now our communities, country, and world need kindness. A simple act of kindness, like helping your neighbor take their groceries inside, is a change. That kindness will make their day, and then in return they may give kindness to others. The United States can show kindness to its people by providing more shelter to those in need. There are half a million people homeless in the US that could use shelter and a good meal. The world can show kindness to each other by supplying developing countries with food, water, and shelter. If our community, country, and world put kindness first think of all we could accomplish. Everyday we wake up blessed to be on this earth, but do we take it for granted? Trash is dumped onto the ground everyday even in our communities. Planting your favorite flowers in your backyard or neighborhood can help the earth. I personally have my own garden of veggies and many plants in my room. Our country could help our ecosystems by using the government to establish programs to pick up trash, lower our greenhouse gases, and limit use of natural resources. Every country can do the same by protecting the rainforests, using less fossil fuels, and slowing down global warming. Over time if we take care of our earth it’ll create change for our next generation. If you went up to a woman in the streets and asked if she’s been sexually assaulted what do you think she’d say? Myself included have been sexually assaulted and I’m only 17. Our community can make a change by having our local police patrol known sex trafficking sites. We could have a peaceful protest in our community for women and our right to feel safe. Our country can have hotlines for women when they’re being followed or feel unsafe. Our world can educate men that hurting and over-sexualizing a woman is not okay. If we teach young boys that woman are more than objects then women could feel safer. Whether it’s through our community, country, or world we can create change. Showing kindness to others during these troubling times will have a ripple effect. Giving back to our earth will create change for our future generations. Safety for women all over the world will change our unity as people. Change is inevitable, so let’s make it for the better.