My Barbie Dream House would be located in San Francisco, California within the Mission District. The style of my home would be Victorian and the exterior of my house will contain three bright colors. There will be a pale yellow surrounded by a brighter yellow on the exterior with bright orange trim. My house and its chosen colors are meant to be inspired by the famous Painted Ladies houses in San Francisco. My house will contain three stories and a wrap-around porch. There will be a round tower on the right side of the home but only on the first and second floors. I want my home to be surrounded by many beautiful plants as well which attract different insects and other creatures. Another feature I want on the outside of my home is a built-in porch for my cat to walk outside and absorb the fresh air without getting loose. I want it to contain a bed, toys and a hammock for her to lay in. In the interior of my Barbie Dream House, there will be high ceilings and wooden floors. It will contain two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, a dining room, two bathrooms, and other small rooms. The walls be white on the inside of my home while the furniture will be mostly vintage and of various colors. I would prefer to have family photos and art hung all over my house to give it character. In my bedroom, I want a walk-in closet filled with my collection of T-shirts, and sneakers. I also would want a bright green dresser with a vintage mirror placed above to contain my other pieces of clothing. My kitchen will be spacious and contain all sorts of culinary tools because I love cooking. All of my pots and pans will be of various bright colors. I want my kitchen to be inviting and a place for all sorts of memories. Near the kitchen, I want a dining room with a long dining room table that can fit 8 people to cater to those who come over for dinner. Also, in my living room, I’d like a flat-screen TV which will be the only one in the house to encourage other activities like gardening and reading. I would prefer to have a couch and a few chairs for having people over for get-togethers and movie nights. For my two bathrooms, I’d like it to be tiled with black and white tile. It will contain a claw foot bathtub as well as my other bathroom amenities. In an extra room, I’d like to have a desk for work to put my laptop on and in another room, I want to showcase some of my comics. I’d also like to showcase figurines and store them in this room. Lastly, I’d want a room that is focused on plants entirely which will contain several windows to let in a lot of sun. These plants will vary from cactuses to flowers.

Throughout the last few years, I have struggled with anxiety. It started when many hate crimes were on the news and it made me fearful for my safety because I am a woman of color. I also realized that I dealt with anxiety in other areas such as school. Since I was struggling with how to cope, my mom recommended that I talk to someone professionally. I have been speaking with my mental health counselor for a few years now and I do feel like I have a greater handle on my anxiety compared to years past. My experience with my mental health has influenced my beliefs by making me feel more compassionate and open-minded for those who struggle. In the past, I didn’t understand it and I assumed it was easy to be okay. I also wasn’t comfortable with the idea of therapy and thought of it as negative. Through my struggles, I’ve learned that feeling better and learning to cope is easier said than done and it is a gradual process to improve your mental health. I’ve also learned that therapy isn’t such a bad thing, it is really helpful to talk to someone outside of your circle about how you're feeling. Today, I believe that therapy is necessary for everyone regardless if you don’t feel like you are struggling. I think it could help everyone improve themselves and be better people. My mental health experience has influenced my relationships because I believe it has improved them. I feel as if my family understands why I might react in certain ways and I notice that they are more sympathetic to how I feel. They also often try and help me in ways to cope when I’m having a hard time. They make it known that I can talk to them whenever I need to. Another way my mental health experience has influenced me is through my career aspirations by pushing me to prove that anxiety will not hold me back from becoming an attorney. The process of becoming an attorney is stressful and many students break down emotionally because it is so hard. When I graduate from undergraduate and I am a law student, I hope to prove that my anxiety won’t prevent me from doing what I want. I will be able to have a handle on my anxiety and know how to cope when having a difficult time in school. Lastly, I have had both positive and negative experiences with the mental health industry. I’ve had positive experiences because my mental health counselor is a person of color so I feel more comfortable confiding in her. I also have had positive experiences because the organization that helps me has check-ins every once in a while to see how I’ve been feeling and to document any changes. This organization also has an emergency phone line for a dire situation which is helpful to me because I know they have my back. However, my negative experiences have had to do with last-minute cancellations which lead to me not knowing when I can reschedule. When this happens, there is a huge gap between my appointments which makes me struggle a bit more than usual with my anxiety. Also, I feel that if the mental health industry wasn’t so expensive, I could afford more reliable mental health care.

The dream version of my future self is a civil rights or immigration attorney who fights for those who are underrepresented, and who positively changes people’s lives and inspires others to become more compassionate.

One book that I could have everyone in the world read would be “March”, a graphic novel about former congressman John Lewis. This graphic novel is part of a memoir trilogy of his life. It was written by John Lewis himself and illustrated by Andrew Aydin. The memoir specifically focuses on his involvement in the civil rights movement and includes several huge events in civil rights history such as the famous lunch counter sit-ins and Bloody Sunday. I would have everyone in the world read this book because today in several states, important books are being banned and this prevents people from learning about their country’s history. If this book was read by everyone, people would be more aware of past racial injustices as well as strong black leaders in our past like John Lewis. Readers should take advantage of books like these because due to recent legislation, not everyone gets to learn everything that has happened in history. Another reason why I would have everyone in the world read this book is for empowerment and to influence others to make their voice heard in the world. Many parts of the graphic novel talk about student-led movements and advocacy. By reading this book, people can learn how powerful they truly are and what they can do to make a difference. This would be an important lesson to learn from the book because not only can readers see how these past events made a difference but it can help readers get more politically involved today. If more people act on their beliefs, especially young people by voting and advocacy, positive change can occur in the world.

One fall-inspired drink that holds a special place in my heart is the apple crisp oat milk crème frappuccino. This holds a special place in my heart because it reminds me of the dessert apple crisp that I would make every year on Thanksgiving with my grandmother. Growing up, my grandmother cooked Thanksgiving dinner along with several desserts, one of them being apple crisp. I would help her prepare some of the sides and make this dessert from scratch. It was such a significant memory for me because my grandfather would always be the one who played with my cousins and me while my grandmother was always in the kitchen. This was one of the few things we could bond over and it always made me feel connected to her. Baking is still something we bond over today which makes me feel very happy. Because this drink is so similar to the actual dessert, it reminds me of my early childhood and my grandmother. This fall-inspired drink from Starbucks has become a character in my fall narrative because whenever I don’t have any apple crisp and I am busy with piles of school work, I order the apple crisp oat milk crème frappuccino from Starbucks. I tend to order this while working on homework in the library on my college campus. During the midpoint of the fall semester, midterms and other projects are due which becomes stressful for me since I struggle with anxiety. I get anxious about deadlines and I need to pause to take a break from working on everything. When I do order this drink, I will walk from the library to Starbucks to take it back so I can continue getting assignments done. When I drink the frappuccino, it gives me comfort because it reminds me of home and my family. It also makes me feel a bit nostalgic because I’m thinking of positive childhood memories that I cherish. This then helps me take a second to relieve my stress so I can continue working on schoolwork. The childhood memories that come to mind when drinking it, calm me down and help me to remain positive when trying to focus. Sometimes, when I feel anxious, I start to be critical of myself, so little things like this drink help me maintain a positive outlook on what I am doing so I can be successful. It also relaxes me when I’m anxious because of its familiar taste of something that brings me joy every fall. Therefore, if anything, this drink serves as a beneficial character to me in my fall narrative. It makes me feel comforted in the fall and relieves the anxiety that comes with the fall semester.

My name is Lola Villamonte-Stein and I currently live in Buffalo, New York. I was born in California but was raised in Buffalo since I was two. I am black, white and indigenous Mexican. My mother is adopted and bi-racial and my father immigrated from Mexico to the United States when he was a teenager. I am the first person on my father’s side to go to college and I currently attend the University at Buffalo. I am a Political Science major. Also, I live with my mother and step dad and we have 4 pets, two dogs, one cat and a lizard. Their names are Lupe, Birdie, Cake and Queso. One of my main areas of interest growing up was advocacy because I felt passionate about what was happening in the world around me. Often, my mom would bring me to local protests when I was younger, this helped me decide to study political science and one day go to law school. I plan to positively impact the world through my career by becoming either a civil rights attorney or an immigration attorney to help others. As a woman of color, I want to provide representation to those who are underrepresented because most legal representation is white men. I want to be able to connect to my clients through my identity so they trust me to help them. Also, I want to advocate and fight for social justice in the legal field. Many civil rights cases tend to result in not benefiting the victims and I want to fight to change that. Also, in immigration cases, I want to help more undocumented immigrants become citizens so they can provide for their families and be able​​ to have a better life in the United States. Another way I plan to make a positive impact through my career is to work with organizations that help low-income people of color in need of legal services. I would like to work with these organizations to provide low-cost legal services to those who do not have enough money but need legal help. I believe that if reliable low-cost legal service was more accessible, those who are underrepresented would be more likely to have success with their legal issues. Lastly, I hope to spread awareness through my career about the importance of civil rights and immigration attorneys for those who are underrepresented. I also want to make people aware of making legal fees more affordable to those who don’t have enough money but need legal help.

I am multi-racial due to being black, white and indigenous Mexican. However, I feel more connected to my Mexican roots because my father immigrated to the United States from Mexico. This has made an impact on my path because every accomplishment I attain is an accomplishment for my father as well. On my father's side, I am the only one that has gone to college and one of the few in his family to graduate from high school. My identity is part of the reason I push myself to succeed because my goals have not been reached before. One of the main goals that I am currently trying to reach is to become either a civil rights attorney or an immigration attorney. My identity has impacted my decision to have either of these as my future career because coming from an underrepresented minority, I don’t feel that there are enough lawyers that can relate to their clients and I want to help those like me. Many attorneys today represent the majority of the population rather than the minority. But I want to be able to connect to my future clients to gain their trust and ensure I am on their side. Lastly, my identity has impacted my path because I’ve always wanted to create some sort of positive change for people of color. I’ve always been passionate about this and in high school, I created a service project to raise money for people of color who are living undocumented in the United States. I sold quesadillas and hot chocolate, raising over 200 dollars. The money was given to a nonprofit organization called “Raices” which focuses on low-cost legal services and social programs for migrants. In doing this project, I raised awareness of those who live undocumented and the importance of helping those in need of becoming citizens. My identity will have an impact on my path in the future because I will face more obstacles in my journey to become an attorney and I will constantly have to prove myself because I am a woman of color. I also will not be taken as seriously as those who are highly represented in the legal community and I will not be what people assume a lawyer looks like due to my identity. It will be a constant battle to be acknowledged in the legal field. However, I am proud of my identity and will remain driven to represent those like me who are underrepresented. I think my identity could connect me to other attorneys who are similar and make me aware of legal organizations that could help me overcome the hurdles I face on my path. Lastly, I think my identity will impact my path by constantly pushing me to not give up. It will motivate me to keep going so that I can help others and increase representation for those of color in the legal field.