I was diagnosed with severe generalized anxiety disorder when I was thirteen. At this time, I was learning how to live with a new lupus diagnosis, as well as figuring out how to transition from a graduating class of twenty in middle school to a graduating class of five hundred in high school. Everything that I knew about myself and the world around me changed, seemingly overnight. The weight of the entire world was on my shoulders. I went to see many different therapists on and off throughout high school and my first year of university, but I did not take it very seriously. The anxiety still hung in my mind as I attempted to live in these massive changes that were happening all around me. To be truthful, I wanted to ignore my mental health because I did not believe that I could be strong with it. I had an okay first year of college. I made a few friends but did not have any passion for what I was studying. All of this changed, however, when my grandpa entered hospice care. I was living away from home and learning that my beloved grandpa was dying. My mental health went completely downhill and I was diagnosed with clinical depression. I finished up my first year of school and moved back home to take the next year off. This year of my life was the lowest I have ever been. But being at my lowest, I knew that I could only move up from there. I started to regularly attend therapy and I started taking medication to help with my mental illness. When, by the time I was moving out again, I was stable and ready to take on the world. Of course, the transition was still hard, but I was able to use the coping skills I learned in my therapy to find joy in the small things again. Now, I am headed into my last year of university with straight A’s and I am living on my own. I absolutely love studying English and writing and I am ecstatic to see where the future will take me. I have an amazing group of friends, I have two different jobs that I adore, and I attend therapy every other week. Life didn’t stop when mental health got bad. Looking back, that is when it started. That is when I learned how to take care of myself and take control of my life again. Anxiety and depression have made my life extraordinarily difficult. But I am stronger for it, each and every day.

I was diagnosed with severe generalized anxiety disorder when I was thirteen. At this time, I was learning how to live with a new lupus diagnosis, as well as figuring out how to transition from a graduating class of twenty in middle school to a graduating class of five hundred in high school. Everything that I knew about myself and the world around me changed, seemingly overnight. I did not have any idea how to deal with all of the stress I was suddenly under. The weight of the entire world was on my shoulders. I went to see many different therapists on and off throughout high school and my first year of university, but I did not take it very seriously. I would go simply to appease my parents, but did not take any of the treatment into my daily life. The anxiety still hung in my mind as I attempted to live in these massive changes that were happening all around me. To be truthful, I wanted to ignore my mental health because I did not believe that I could be strong with it. I had an okay first year of college. I made a few friends but did not have any passion for what I was studying. All of this changed, however, when my grandpa entered hospice care. I was living away from home and learning that my beloved grandpa was dying. My mental health went completely downhill and I was diagnosed with clinical depression. I finished up my first year of school and moved back home to take the next year off. I knew that if I attempted to do another year of college with my current mental health issues, I would not be successful. This year of my life was the lowest I have ever been. But being at my lowest, I knew that I could only move up from there. I started to regularly attend therapy and I started taking medication to help with my mental illness. This completely changed the game for me. I was no longer living in sadness and despair each day, but was able to find joy in the little things again. By the time I was moving out again, I was stable and ready to take on the world. Of course, the transition was still hard, but I was able to use the coping skills I learned in my therapy. Now, I am headed into my last year of university with straight A’s and I am living on my own. I absolutely love studying English and writing and I am ecstatic to see where the future will take me. I have an amazing group of friends, I have two different jobs that I adore, and I attend therapy every other week. Life didn’t stop when mental health got bad. Looking back, that is when it started. That is when I learned how to take care of myself and take control of my life again. Anxiety and depression have made my life extraordinarily difficult. But I am stronger for it, each and every day.

Storytelling means I can share my experiences and beliefs on the page. Growing up, I was an avid reader, losing myself in the adventures of many different characters. But I always felt that something was missing in my life. I did not grow up with a strong faith background, but I did have friends I occasionally went to church with. These minimal church experiences brought me to write some of my first stories, which were about Jesus and if he had a little sister. Of course, they were silly and lacked religious context, but I loved the process. Ever since that moment, I have not stopped writing stories that I wished to see in the world. I am an English major with three minors in different styles of writing (creative, professional, and digital) in my third year of university. I spend all of my time reading and writing, which I adore. It did not occur to me until last year that I could make this into my career. Now, in the final legs of my creative writing certificate, I am writing a poetry chapbook about finding my faith again and my place in Christianity. It has taken me a long time to get to this place, but I am proud to say that in the last year, I found myself walking into church and finding a home in Jesus. My goal in life has always been to make a difference in the lives of those I touch. When I was young, that aspiration was channeled into the desire to be famous or the President of the United States. I applaud my younger self for having such grand aspirations. But now, I know that God set my gifts in working with children. I have worked my way through university as a nanny for many different children. It is such a gift to watch them grow and learn about the world before my very eyes. One of the most obvious ways that these children learn about the world is through the books and stories that they read. I have read so many children's books, some of which I love, and some that I dread to pick up each day. One place I have noticed a lack, however, is in children's books that have underlying spiritual morals. I want my future children to be able to learn about our God in a way that makes sense to them. I want them to know about the love I learned later in life right away. And what better way to tell these stories than to write them myself! I am still working through my degree, but it has brought me so much joy to know where I want to head after I graduate. I thank God every day for the gifts that He has given me. I feel so fortunate for His love and mercy. I know that I am in this world to serve Him and that He has a perfect plan for me. Thank you for your consideration.

When I was thirteen years old, I got very sick. My joints were constantly inflamed and my body had stopped absorbing the nutrients from the food I was eating. The turning point was a 103༠ fever that would not break while on a camping trip in Voyageurs National Park. I had to be evacuated and admitted to the hospital. I was diagnosed with lupus four days later. Little did I know that this diagnosis would change the course of my life. When I was going into high school, I had a very specific plan. I was going to join the cheer team. I would become a veterinarian and be very successful in my scientific endeavors. But with my lupus diagnosis, all of these plans were thrown out the window. I was no longer healthy enough to dance at a competitive level and my memory could no longer hold numbers and equations. I did not let this hold me back, however. I joined the mock trial team and kept active by playing golf in the spring. I joined my camp’s Leader’s Club and Youth in Government in my spare time. By the time I was able to graduate high school in 2020, I had started a very successful Earth Club and held leadership positions in my other extracurriculars. I was also given the opportunity to participate in the Minnesota House of Representatives Page Program and become a student intern for Senator Mary Kunesh. I am very proud of myself for everything I accomplished while battling a new lupus diagnosis. When I was applying for university, I again had a very specific plan. I wanted to go to a very small university and study political science with a plan to go into government to become an elected official. Again, my lupus had other plans for me. I was (un)fortunate enough to start university during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. I had to quarantine in my dorm and have limited interaction with my peers and professors. The only class that I was able to attend in person, because of my immunocompromised status, was my core class called The Reflective Woman. This was a writing and research-intensive class that focused on social justice. I realized in this class that I did not have the drive that I once did to pursue politics. Instead, I found, that my gifts were in writing and literature. I decided to take a year off and eventually found myself at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, pursuing two degrees: English and writing studies. I am happier than I have ever been. I am very active in my community at UMD. I started a queer-affirming Christian ministry, to fill a gap I found in traditional ministries. Our club is called Open Arms of Christ and we aim to make sure everyone feels welcome and loved, no matter their backgrounds. With this club, we volunteer in the community and spend time loving each other in community. I will forever be grateful for the love and compassion I created and found in this club and with these people. A lupus diagnosis completely changed the course of my life. Day-to-day activities are harder and require me to strongly advocate for myself. It has been difficult to find my place in this world. But a lupus diagnosis also brought me to where I am today, and oh wow, do I love where I am today.

I was diagnosed with severe generalized anxiety disorder when I was thirteen. At this time, I was learning how to live with a new lupus diagnosis, as well as how to transition from a tiny middle school to a giant high school. Everything that I knew about myself and the world around me changed, seemingly overnight. The weight of the entire world was on my shoulders. I went to see many different therapists on and off throughout high school and my first year of university, but I did not take it very seriously. The anxiety still hung in my mind as I attempted to live in these massive changes that were happening all around me. To be truthful, I wanted to ignore my mental health because I did not believe that I could be strong with it. I had an okay first year of college. I made a few friends but did not have any passion for what I was studying. All of this changed, however, when my grandpa entered hospice care. I was living away from home and learning that my beloved grandpa was dying. My mental health went completely downhill and I was diagnosed with clinical depression. I finished up my first year of school and moved back home to take the next year off. This year of my life was the lowest I have ever been. But being at my lowest, I knew that I could only move up from there. I started to regularly attend therapy and I started taking medication to help with my mental illness. When, by the time I was moving out again, I was stable and ready to take on the world. Of course, the transition was still hard, but I was able to use the coping skills I learned in my therapy to find joy in the small things again. Now, I am in my third year of university with straight A’s and I am living on my own. I absolutely love studying English and writing and I am ecstatic to see where the future will take me. I have an amazing group of friends, I have two different jobs that I adore, and I attend therapy every other week. Life didn’t stop when mental health got bad. Looking back, that is when it started. That is when I learned how to take care of myself and take control of my life again. Anxiety and depression have made my life extraordinarily difficult. But I am stronger for it, each and every day.

Storytelling means I can share my experiences and beliefs on the page. Growing up, I was an avid reader, losing myself in the adventures of many different characters. But I always felt that something was missing in my life. I did not grow up with a strong faith background, but I did have friends I occasionally went to church with. These minimal church experiences brought me to write some of my first stories, which were about Jesus and if he had a little sister. Of course, they were silly and lacked religious context, but I loved the process. Ever since that moment, I have not stopped writing stories that I wished to see in the world. I am an English major with three minors in different styles of writing (creative, professional, and digital) in my third year of university. I spend all of my time reading and writing, which I adore. It did not occur to me until last year that I could make this into my career. Now, in the final legs of my creative writing certificate, I am writing a poetry chapbook about finding my faith again and my place in Christianity. It has taken me a long time to get to this place, but I am proud to say that in the last year, I found myself walking into church and finding a home in Jesus. My goal in life has always been to make a difference in the lives of those I touch. When I was young, that aspiration was channeled into the desire to be famous or the President of the United States. I applaud my younger self for having such grand aspirations. But now, I know that God set my gifts in working with children. I have worked my way through university as a nanny for many different children. It is such a gift to watch them grow and learn about the world before my very eyes. One of the most obvious ways that these children learn about the world is through the books and stories that they read. I have read so many children's books, some of which I love, and some that I dread to pick up each day. One place I have noticed a lack, however, is in children's books that have underlying spiritual morals. I want my future children to be able to learn about our God in a way that makes sense to them. I want them to know about the love I learned later in life right away. And what better way to tell these stories than to write them myself! I am still working through my degree, but it has brought me so much joy to know where I want to head after I graduate. I thank God every day for the gifts that He has given me. I feel so fortunate for His love and mercy. I know that I am in this world to serve Him, and I know that I am on the right path. Thank you for your consideration.

Many identities make up my individuality, but the one that I hold most dear is my lesbian identity. I have known I was queer since the seventh grade, but I did not know exactly where I fit in until last year. It has taken me a long time to come to this conclusion, with countless tears and lost relationships. But today, I find so much joy and fulfillment in being a part of the most welcoming and loving community. Last year, I found myself being drawn back into religion. I started to spend my time with different Christian ministries on campus and I found a sense of joy in Christianity. But what I did not find joy in was the people around me. I have never felt so unwelcome and unloved by a group of people as I did with these Christians. They had so many stipulations about who I could love and how I could do that. With a heavy heart, I removed myself from that environment. I still found myself looking for that faith community, but I was not able to find it anywhere. So, I made my own space. My friend and I created a club called Open Arms of Christ, which is an LGBTQ+ affirming Christian ministry. We have weekly meetings and spend time together in joyful community. Since we are a Christian ministry, we were invited to participate in an event called "All Campus Worship," which is a giant worship night put on by every Christian ministry on campus. There is one of these nights each semester, and the goal is to put aside our differences and praise God. The first ACW night of this year was an entirely unsafe environment for our club. The pastor who spoke was from a blatantly homophobic church and the students said awful things to us. We decided that this was unacceptable, so we requested for the next semester that we be given the opportunity to introduce ourselves at the beginning of the service and that we be able to bring in a pastor whom we felt safe with. Our requests were ignored at first, and then when we were not quiet, our requests were denied. This began a month of feeling unsafe on my campus because of the backlash we were receiving for our very simple requests. After speaking with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion on my campus, we decided that we were going to hold our own worship night the same day. We called it "Affirming Worship," decorated with affirmation posters and so many rainbows. I spent the entire service with tears in my eyes because of how beautiful it was. And, not only did we have an affirming pastor, but we had NINE pastors hear our call and attend. I did not sign up for this fight; I did not choose to be queer and religious. But if I had to do it all again, I would. A million times over. Queer students will always deserve a space where they feel welcome and loved exactly how they are. If I have to be the person that fights for it, I will. I am a junior studying English and writing. I hope, one day, to work in publishing so that our media can be filled with a diversity of voices that I did not see growing up. My experience with Open Arms of Christ has made me confident that I can and will make a difference in this world.

Storytelling means I can share my experiences and beliefs on the page. Growing up, I was an avid reader, losing myself in the adventures of many different characters. But I always felt that something was missing in my life. I did not grow up with a strong faith background, but I did have friends I occasionally went to church with. These minimal church experiences brought me to write some of my first stories, which were about Jesus and if he had a little sister. Of course, they were silly and lacked religious context, but I loved the process. Ever since that moment, I have not stopped writing stories that I wished to see in the world. I am an English major with three minors in different styles of writing (creative, professional, and digital) in my third year of university. I spend all of my time reading and writing, which I adore. It did not occur to me until last year that I could make this into my career. Now, in the final legs of my creative writing certificate, I am writing a poetry chapbook about finding my faith again and my place in Christianity. It has taken me a long time to get to this place, but I am proud to say that in the last year, I found myself walking into church and finding a home in Jesus. My goal in life has always been to make a difference in the lives of those I touch. When I was young, that aspiration was channeled into the desire to be famous or the President of the United States. I applaud my younger self for having such grand aspirations. But now, I know that God set my gifts in working with children. I have worked my way through university as a nanny for many different children. It is such a gift to watch them grow and learn about the world before my very eyes. One of the most obvious ways that these children learn about the world is through the books and stories that they read. I have read so many children's books, some of which I love, and some that I dread to pick up each day. One place I have noticed a lack, however, is in children's books that have underlying spiritual morals. I want my future children to be able to learn about our God in a way that makes sense to them. I want them to know about the love I learned later in life right away. And what better way to tell these stories than to write them myself! I am still working through my degree, but it has brought me so much joy to know where I want to head after I graduate. I thank God every day for the gifts that He has given me. I feel so fortunate for His love and mercy. I know that I am in this world to serve Him, and I know that I am on the right path. Thank you for your consideration.

While I was in high school, my parents insisted that I could not have a job: I had been diagnosed with systemic lupus and arthritis my freshman year, and they were worried I might overexert myself. I filled my time with volunteer opportunities and leadership positions in clubs at my school. My first job was in my first year of university. Transitioning from not having a job to suddenly working twenty hours a week was very difficult. It was certainly a learning experience for me as a new adult because I knew that if I did not go to work I would have a hard time with groceries that week. But if I did not take the time I needed, I would burn out and not be able to put school first. It certainly took me a few weeks before I was able to get into a routine that worked for me, but I have held a job in school ever since. I am grateful that I chose this time to learn how to have a work/life/school balance because it was in 2020 and all of my classes were online and flexible. I was able to learn how to do the whole work thing in a relatively relaxed environment. That first job that I worked was in IT on campus, but I have since found different work that aligns more closely with what I want to do post-graduation. Right now, I work at the Tweed Museum of Art as a sales associate, I nanny two wonderful kids, and I write occasional blog posts for Wisconsin Sea Grant. With all of this, I am also the president of a club on campus and I am a straight-A, full-time student. In the summertime, I work at YMCA Camp Northern Lights as the Office Manager. My schedule is constantly busy, but everything I do brings me so much joy. If it had not been for that first job and learning experience during my freshman year, I would not be able to juggle all of the responsibilities that I have taken on now. I would not have the confidence in my abilities and my work ethic. And most importantly, I would be entirely reliant on my parents who have already given me so much. I am so grateful for everything that has happened in my life. Not working in high school gave me other experiences I was able to put on my resumes and college applications. Then, when I did get to work, I learned quickly how to balance my life so that I could be successful. Now, one year from graduation and I guess the rest of my life, I feel confident that I can handle whatever life throws at me and I can reach for bigger and better opportunities. I work hard so that I can be the best version of myself.

I was diagnosed with severe generalized anxiety disorder when I was thirteen. At this time, I was learning how to live with a new lupus diagnosis, as well as how to transition from a tiny middle school to a giant high school. Everything that I knew about myself and the world around me changed, seemingly overnight. The weight of the entire world was on my shoulders. I went to see many different therapists on and off throughout high school and my first year of university, but I did not take it very seriously. The anxiety still hung in my mind as I attempted to live in these massive changes that were happening all around me. To be truthful, I wanted to ignore my mental health because I did not believe that I could be strong with it. I had an okay first year of college. I made a few friends but did not have any passion for what I was studying. All of this changed, however, when my grandpa entered hospice care. I was living away from home and learning that my beloved grandpa was dying. My mental health went completely downhill and I was diagnosed with clinical depression. I finished up my first year of school and moved back home to take the next year off. This year of my life was the lowest I have ever been. But being at my lowest, I knew that I could only move up from there. I started to regularly attend therapy and I started taking medication to help with my mental illness. When, by the time I was moving out again, I was stable and ready to take on the world. Of course, the transition was still hard, but I was able to use the coping skills I learned in my therapy to find joy in the small things again. Now, I am in my third year of university with straight A’s and I am living on my own. I absolutely love studying English and writing and I am ecstatic to see where the future will take me. I have an amazing group of friends, I have two different jobs that I adore, and I attend therapy every other week. Life didn’t stop when mental health got bad. Looking back, that is when it started. That is when I learned how to take care of myself and take control of my life again. Anxiety and depression have made my life extraordinarily difficult. But I am stronger for it, each and every day.

Writing has been my most consistent escape from what is happening in my day to day. When I was young, I loved to write stories about my friends and family going on adventures and meeting new people. It was always for fun, but never very meaningful until I hit high school. When I was just about fourteen, I was diagnosed with systemic lupus and arthritis. Lupus is an autoimmune disease where the immune system is so overactive that it starts to attack healthy cells and organs. It has no cure. It was a devastating diagnosis that changed the entire course of my life. At the worst of my lupus, my body had stopped absorbing nutrients from the food I was eating; I was starving. On top of this, my body was in a constant state of pain and inflammation. I was not able to keep up with my busy dance and gymnastics schedule because of my health. And so, I was forced to move on to new hobbies and passions. I tried a little bit of everything: I joined the golf team, I tried out mock trial, I started an environmental club, and I started to get active in the leadership development program with Y of the North. But nothing truly stuck with me until I started my freshman year English class and we had a unit about writing poetry. My amazing teacher knew what I was going through and gave me so much grace while working through the class, she told me later she was overjoyed to see me light up during this unit. This was a genre of literature that I had never been exposed to before and I was immediately hooked. I started to look for any new and exciting poetry I could learn about, mimic, and keep in my heart. I took this new hobby of poetry writing and ran with it. I was able to express what I was feeling in a way that I found to be beautiful. I was able to make this horrid disease beautiful. Now, I am in my junior year as an English major with minors in creative, digital, and professional writing. I am able to write every single day about a large variety of topics and OH does it bring me so much joy. My favorite classes so far have, of course, been my writing poetry classes because I still love to make hard and angry topics into something beautiful. Writing saved me all those years ago, and I think it will continue to save me.

When I was thirteen years old, I got very sick. My joints were constantly inflamed and my body had stopped absorbing the nutrients from the food I was eating. The turning point was a 103༠ fever that would not break while on a camping trip in Voyageurs National Park. I had to be evacuated and admitted to the hospital. I was diagnosed with lupus four days later. Little did I know that this diagnosis would change the course of my life. When I was going into high school, I had a very specific plan. I was going to join the cheer team. I would become a veterinarian and be very successful in my scientific endeavors. But with my lupus diagnosis, all of these plans were thrown out the window. I was no longer healthy enough to dance at a competitive level and my memory could no longer hold numbers and equations. I did not let this hold me back, however. I joined the mock trial team and kept active by playing golf in the spring. I joined my camp’s Leader’s Club and Youth in Government in my spare time. By the time I was able to graduate high school in 2020, I had started a very successful Earth Club and held leadership positions in my other extracurriculars. I was also given the opportunity to participate in the Minnesota House of Representatives Page Program and become a student intern for Senator Mary Kunesh. I am very proud of myself for everything I accomplished while battling a new lupus diagnosis. When I was applying for university, I again had a very specific plan. I wanted to go to a very small university and study political science with a plan to go into government to become an elected official. Again, my lupus had other plans for me. I was (un)fortunate enough to start university during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. I had to quarantine in my dorm and have limited interaction with my peers and professors. The only class that I was able to attend in person, because of my immunocompromised status, was my core class called The Reflective Woman. This was a writing and research-intensive class that focused on social justice. I realized in this class that I did not have the drive that I once did to pursue politics. Instead, I found, that my gifts were in writing and literature. I decided to take a year off and eventually found myself at the University of Minnesota - Duluth, pursuing two degrees: English and writing studies. I am happier than I have ever been. A lupus diagnosis completely changed the course of my life. Day-to-day activities are harder and require me to strongly advocate for myself. It has been difficult to find my place in this world. But a lupus diagnosis also brought me to where I am today, and oh wow, do I love where I am today.

When I was thirteen years old, I got very sick. My joints were constantly inflamed and my body had stopped absorbing the nutrients from the food I was eating. The turning point was a 103༠ fever that would not break while on a camping trip in Voyageurs National Park. I had to be evacuated and admitted to the hospital. I was diagnosed with lupus four days later. Little did I know that this diagnosis would change the course of my life. When I was going into high school, I had a very specific plan. I was going to join the cheer team. I would become a veterinarian and be very successful in my scientific endeavors. But with my lupus diagnosis, all of these plans were thrown out the window. I was no longer healthy enough to dance at a competitive level and my memory could no longer hold numbers and equations. I did not let this hold me back, however. I joined the mock trial team and kept active by playing golf in the spring. I joined my camp’s Leader’s Club and Youth in Government in my spare time. By the time I was able to graduate high school in 2020, I had started a very successful Earth Club and held leadership positions in my other extracurriculars. I was also given the opportunity to participate in the Minnesota House of Representatives Page Program and become a student intern for Senator Mary Kunesh. I am very proud of myself for everything I accomplished while battling a new lupus diagnosis. When I was applying for university, I again had a very specific plan. I wanted to go to a very small university and study political science with a plan to go into government to become an elected official. Again, my lupus had other plans for me. I was (un)fortunate enough to start university during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. I had to quarantine in my dorm and have limited interaction with my peers and professors. The only class that I was able to attend in person, because of my immunocompromised status, was my core class called The Reflective Woman. This was a writing and research-intensive class that focused on social justice. I realized in this class that I did not have the drive that I once did to pursue politics. Instead, I found, that my gifts were in writing and literature. I decided to take a year off and eventually found myself at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, pursuing an English degree and minoring in different types of writing. I am happier than I have ever been. A lupus diagnosis completely changed the course of my life. Day-to-day activities are harder and require me to strongly advocate for myself. It has been difficult to find my place in this world. But a lupus diagnosis also brought me to where I am today, and oh wow, do I love where I am today. The advice I would give to someone newly diagnosed with a chronic illness such as lupus is the quote I keep in the back of my phone case from a fortune cookie: "Do not give up. The beginning is always the hardest." This is a sentiment that gets me through the hard parts of life, and I hope that it could help others too.