I have a talent for communication, and I plan to use that to improve the world around me. I love public speaking and writing, which are two very important means of communication. Public speaking is something many people fear, and avoid at all costs, but I've always embraced the opportunity to make my voice heard. Just this school year, I had the opportunity to participate in my college's intro-level speech class competition, where each instructor would choose a student to compete against the other selected students in a school-wide speech competition. I made the final round and ended up placing 6th overall with my speech about the many benefits of reading. That's a subject that's important to me, and I had the opportunity to share my thoughts with a larger audience, which I was so grateful for. I'd love to continue doing things like this as I grow older, maybe even with more impactful topics like mental health. I also find a lot of joy in writing. I'm an English major, and I hope to find a career in which I can write for the rest of my life. I love the process of finding the perfect words to say what I mean to say, meticulously scanning a thesaurus page to discover the perfect word for the feeling I'm trying to convey. I like writing essays for school–I have so much fun with writing assignments–and I love to write poetry in my free time. My talent for writing is a skill I hope to use for good. Writing about the importance of discussing mental illness more freely and openly in order to defeat the stigma that still surrounds the idea of struggling with one's mental health is a goal of mine. I'd also love to have a platform to talk about the many issues first-generation college students face–I know I have plenty of experiences and, as I near the end of my college experience, maybe even a little advice to share, and I know there are countless other first-generation students out there whose voices and stories should be heard as well. I would love the opportunity to bring the challenges faced by first-generation students, from the college application process all the way to job hunting, to light through my writing. Communication, in my opinion, is the first step toward empathy and understanding. If we can express our feelings and share our experiences with others, we are all so much more inclined to be patient and kind to each other. Knowledge often leads to more thought, and more thought often leads to more empathy, at least in my experience. If we can see and hear experiences from more people who lead different lives and face different challenges than we do, then perhaps we will be more likely to embrace empathy and understanding as important, necessary parts of life.

Optimism has always been an instinct for me, and I've repeatedly found value in having a positive attitude even when it's hard. However, over the past few years, life has thrown quite a few challenges my way, which I'm sure most people can relate to. As a result, there have certainly been days when it seemed easier to focus on the negative and ignore all the good in my life, but I've found that staying positive makes life much more enjoyable. Between my senior year of high school and my first year of college, I faced a battle with depression, a year of online learning, unexpectedly transferring universities, and a lot of loneliness. But, as I worked through these trials, I found that I could get through the hard times by focusing on the joy that I knew was ahead. Whether by focusing on big things, like a new semester or year, or even just telling myself that "tomorrow will be better," finding ways to add optimism to my thought process made a tough few years a little bit easier. Now, I'm going into my sophomore year of college, and I truly couldn't be happier. I'm surrounded by wonderful, supportive friends and family, I'm at a school that I love, and I've finally begun to understand how to best manage my depression. I honestly don't think I would have found such joy in my life had I not stayed optimistic when I was going through challenges. Believing that I could and would find happiness like this one day has helped make that joy a reality, and I will continue that optimism through any challenges I face in the future.

I started working when I was 16, and I have been learning how to manage my money ever since. I'm now 19 years old, and though I have quite a few years of working still ahead of me, I have already learned some important lessons about personal finance. However, the lesson I find most impactful is the importance of remembering that all of the small things add up. I know that is a bit vague, so allow me to explain further. When dealing with money, it's easy to only look at the large numbers. Paychecks, rent payments, and all of the other large sums we so often worry about. But only looking at the larger numbers is a mistake. Yes, your paycheck is incredibly important when it comes to paying your bills. But, what if you start collecting all of the change from your purse and keeping it in a jar, then using that money for vacations or bigger purchases? This is one of my favorite things to do, as it's a very low commitment strategy, but can slowly yield big rewards. Making coffee at home instead of buying from Starbucks or another cafe is another favorite tip of mine. Spending too much money on coffee is one thing I am certainly guilty of, but I try to remind myself of how quickly my $5 coffees add up, and what else I could be using that money for. These small changes can make big impacts. There are many other, more aggressive savings techniques out there, but keeping the small totals in mind as I spend and save is my personal favorite. This method allows me to see results by making small changes and being more mindful about my spending and saving habits.

Optimism is something I find incredibly important. The instinct to stay positive usually comes naturally to me, but that doesn't mean I appreciate it any less. I grew up being praised for my positive attitude by those around me, and to be honest, I didn't understand why. To me, optimism was habitual. Being upset over small things didn't make sense to me. However, as I grew older, and was faced with a global pandemic and a million other things to worry about, I began to realize why optimism wasn't easy for many people. During the pandemic, my joyful disposition quickly descended into a depression diagnosis, which was not something I took very well. Positivity was a big part of my identity, so I didn't really know how to deal with such a major change in mood. I wish I could say this was something I got over quickly, but it took a while for me to accept that depression was something I would have to live with, but that it didn't change who I was, or the joy I'd grown to identify with. Once I finally experienced that revelation, things began to turn around, and I remember when they did. It was late winter, just turning to spring, and I felt as the world did: like I was coming alive again. That's my favorite time of year now because the hope I felt as I realized I could still be habitually optimistic like I used to was the most amazing feeling in the world, and early spring reminds me of that now, When I'm having a bad day, I don't think it's so terrible. I know that it really is just one bad day and that tomorrow can be better. I'm so thankful that I can think that way again.

The thing I love most about myself is my joyful disposition. I have a really positive personality, and people often comment on it! This trait will help me in many ways, but most notably, it will help me find the inspiration to keep going when things get tough and help me to inspire and impact others. I've always been an extremely joyful person. I couldn't be more thankful for this, because I really don't know how I would have survived the last 2 years without all of that optimism. Growing up, I was praised for my positivity, and I didn't really get why. At the time, it just felt natural, and honestly, unremarkable. What was so special about being happy? But then, I began to battle mental illness, and then I understood why my joyful nature was so important. Even when my depression was at its very worst, I had this unending hope within me. Somehow I knew, that no matter what, things would turn out okay. Looking back, I'm beyond thankful for that feeling that allowed me to continue on. But my joy doesn't only benefit me, it's really an asset to everyone I meet. I try my best to see my sunny disposition as a gift and use it to the best of my ability, being as warm and friendly as possible to everyone around me. I like to start conversations with new people and give as many compliments as I can, because you truly don't know what someone else is going through. Something as simple as telling someone you like the way their hair looks today has the power to turn their entire day around! Maybe they'll even be inspired to pass that positivity on with a compliment to someone else, making the whole world a brighter and happier place. Plus, bringing joy to others is a guaranteed way to bring even more joy to yourself, so it's really a win-win situation. I now understand that my positive attitude is a gift and that I need to appreciate it and use it as well as I possibly can. I aspire to bring as much joy to those around me as humanly possible and to continue keeping an eye on my own well-being. Life's too short to go through being sad, and I want to bring as much happiness to the world as I can.

I hope to make a positive impact in the world by being kind to everyone I meet. I have a lot of big dreams for my life, but really, many of those plans change. My career ambitions are constantly shifting as I discover more interesting classes at my university, I know I want to live somewhere cool but I have no idea where, and I'm not really sure what my family plans are. However, the one thing that I know I want to achieve is being a positive influence on the people around me in any way I can, so that's what I focus on. I want to achieve this goal in both big and small ways, through both people I hardly know and those who are a big part of my life. When trying to positively affect the lives of people I don't know well, I try to make their day a little brighter through small gestures. Giving a compliment or starting a conversation with someone new might completely turn their day around. Whenever I feel myself falling behind on this part of my goal, I try to remember that I don't know what challenges other people are facing in their personal lives, so my actions could have a much larger impact than I'm aware of. If someone is having a horrible day but is shown a bit of kindness, that may be enough to give them hope that tomorrow will be better, and the giver of kindness would never know how much of an impact their action had. I also want to impact those around me in big ways. I want to be someone that everyone in my life can rely on for joy and positivity in tough times. This is an ambitious goal, as it's simply impossible to be happy all the time, but what I'm aiming to do is maintain a positive attitude despite any difficult circumstances I may encounter. I hope that my positivity could help inspire those around me to look at life and hardships in the same way I do, life being something beautiful that we have the privilege of experiencing, and hardships as something tough but that we ultimately can and will overcome. When my friends and family are going through hard times, I hope that they would come to me to either let me listen and support them or help them find joy despite their troubles. Everyone deserves someone to support them in that way. Ultimately, my goal for creating a positive impact on the world revolves simply around being kind, connecting with the people I love, and maintaining an optimistic mindset. I hope that by achieving these items I can help at least one person see the world as a little bit happier of a place.

The first practical solution that comes to mind when considering mental health assistance is more paid sick days or excused absences. In my experience, I know I personally have attended work and school when I was not mentally in the best place, simply because I didn't want to email and explain my situation. Having a number of excused days off that require no explanation would solve this problem. For many people who struggle with their mental health, life can often get very overwhelming very quickly. Work, school, extracurriculars, social life, and every other obligation can pile up and create a lot of stress. Sometimes, the best way to solve this problem is simply a day off, which can be used in a variety of ways. In some cases, the ideal mental health day is just doing absolutely nothing related to school, work, or other stressors. This could be staying in and relaxing, hanging out with people who bring you joy, or other recharging activities. It really can be best to not even think about work for a day. However, I know that sometimes I have days where I feel I need a day off just to catch up on the things I feel behind on, like homework. If someone is feeling overwhelmed by assignments for school and chores at home, giving them a chance to do these things by letting them miss class may be all they really needed. Days off for work and school often require a lot of explanation, which can be hard if someone isn't comfortable talking about their mental health. Offering a few days to have off for whatever reason without questioning may make it a lot easier for many people to take care of themselves, and create happier and healthier employees and students.

As a child, I was always praised for my joyful nature and positive attitude. Honestly, this disposition was instinctual for me. I didn't always understand why other people didn't feel the same. But then, in 2020, my world turned upside down, which I'm sure everyone can relate to. The pandemic hit, and everything I thought I knew about optimism and joy suddenly felt wrong. After a few months of trying to stay positive through a pandemic, I couldn't do it any longer, and my mental health deteriorated. Which I took incredibly hard. How could I, the girl who was constantly asked "how are you so happy all the time?" be diagnosed with depression? It made no sense. After a while, I realized more negativity wouldn't help. It was time for me to start seeking out joy again. It was hard to be optimistic when the future was so uncertain. So I started small! I looked for joy in the little things. My favorite color is pink, so I looked for it everywhere. A pink straw in my coffee meant my day would be great. I made new Spotify playlists because listening to sad music wasn't certainly not helping matters. I switched to upbeat, happy music. I smiled more. I told myself everything would work out. I focused on the future events I could plan instead of dwelling in the past. No, every day wasn't perfect and these small acts didn't make my depression disappear. But I can say I'm living a much happier life now. I feel more like my old self, but maybe a little wiser. I now know that joy doesn't have to be constant, it's just like every other feeling in life. You have to just take it and appreciate it whenever you can.

The first week of college is supposed to be tough, but I had a uniquely stressful experience: I transferred schools 4 days after move-in. At the time, I wondered if I was making the right choice, but months later, as I'm settled at my hometown's university, happily commuting, I know I made the right call. I had a tough senior year. Between e-learning and mental health struggles it was hard. And my college selection process was extremely flawed due to COVID restrictions. But I assumed it would be fine, and I'd love my school anyways. Move-in day came, and as my parents drove away, it hit me. Being here is a mistake. I was too far from home, I should have visited more schools, choosing this school was a mistake. But looking forward to this move got me through senior year so I had to love it. I tried so hard to love it, I'd get up every morning and say that this would be the day I'd adjust. But it never was. The worst part? If I wanted to transfer, I had to do it almost immediately or not at all. I was faced with an impossible choice. But I knew I didn't belong, so I did it. I transferred home! I moved in on a Friday, moved out on a Tuesday, and classes at my new university started Wednesday morning. Walking on campus (a campus I had never seen) that Wednesday morning was overwhelming. But I did it. And I kept doing it every day after! And somewhere along the way, I started to thrive! I made friends, joined clubs, even got a job on campus. What seemed like the scariest, worst mistake of my life really just brought me to the place I was supposed to be.

My favorite relaxation techniques are journaling and taking walks. Journaling is a great way for me to work through my feelings and check in with myself. Honestly, I oftentimes don't even know exactly how I feel about a situation before I journal about it because it can be hard for me to sort through my thoughts and feelings without writing them down. Journaling allows me to calmly analyze the events of my day and examine how I feel about them in a more peaceful environment. I also love the idea that I will have journals from my high school and college days to look back on when I'm older. The second relaxation technique I enjoy is taking walks. Walks are a versatile relaxation method for me, as I can take them alone or with others, either way, I still feel I benefit greatly. Walks with friends are a fun way for me to catch up with the people I love. We can chat and stay active at the same time, and I truly feel as though the conversations I have with my friends when we're on a walk are more exciting and productive than the ones we have sitting still. I also really enjoy walking alone. I use that time to listen to music and let my mind wander to whatever I choose to think about. It's a really calming experience for me that I use to relax and stay active amidst my often busy schedule. I find relaxation and self-care to be very important parts of my life, as my mental health is a priority. These two methods are some of my favorites because they allow me to check in with myself even with a busy schedule.

I would like to be remembered as someone who was always kind. There are many things I'd like to achieve in life, I'd like to have a successful career, I'd like to have a family, and pursue my passions, but to be completely honest, I really don't care whether people remember those things about me. All I really care that they remember is that I was kind. In our world, there is no shortage of goals to accomplish. There's a whole book of records to beat, milestones to achieve, and other things to do. All of which are great! But, what I want out of life is to make connections with others. I'd like to make lots of friends, meet lots of interesting people, and hopefully change lives, including my own. The interactions we have with others can have such strong impacts, often ones we don't even realize. Being kind to someone can completely turn their day around, even if we didn't know they were struggling. That's why it's important to me to try and be as nice as I can to those around me because I really have no idea what others are going through. So if performing a simple act of kindness for someone can brighten their day just a little bit, that's an accomplishment to me. I have a lot of goals and many plans for my life. But really, the only thing I care to achieve is living a life of kindness and joy, showing others love in any way I can.

To me, the best way to live a long and healthy life is to live a life filled with joy. It's no secret that life is often filled with challenges and sorrows, which is a truth made even clearer by the recent pandemic. This is why it's so important to live as joyfully as possible. When I say to live with joy, I don't necessarily mean that you must be happy all the time, ignoring any negative emotions or occurrences. That's unhealthy too, as pain is a part of life and it can help us grow. What I mean is that despite the pain and difficulty we sometimes face, we should try to move forward with optimism. Believe that tomorrow will be better, and continue pushing through tough times. Surround yourself with things and people that make you happy. All of these practices, combined with taking adequate care of your physical health, create a good routine for a vibrant and lengthy life. I think that physical and mental health do have a connection. If you're struggling mentally, your physical health will likely decline too, and vice versa. This phenomenon is why I find the first step to living a long, healthy, and happy life to be living with joy. I choose to believe that if I continue opting for optimism, good things will follow.

Listening is an important skill to me, both for myself and for the people I surround myself with. My friends and I are all opinionated people, and we don't always agree. We debate frequently, often about completely ridiculous subjects. Nothing is wrong with this type of dialogue, as long as everyone is committed to listening and being respectful. Disagreement is fine, after all, what would be the fun of life if we all agreed on every subject all of the time? There would be no room for growth or innovation. But problems emerge when disagreement turns into a lack of listening. Listening isn't just about hearing another person's opinion, it's about respecting that opinion when respect is due. To me, the basic premise of listening would be to let the opposing party speak without interruption. Wait to share your thoughts until they're finished. This is the only way for healthy dialogue to occur. If yelling, interrupting, or any other rudeness is occurring, the other party will never want to listen to your opinion, and vice versa. Listening does have limits though. If the other party's words are blatantly offensive or hurtful, I believe you're not being a bad listener by interrupting them, you're simply stopping someone from being hurt by their words. But if their opinion isn't offensive, it's just different than yours, it's your responsibility as a good listener to take their words and try to understand them. Take into account their experiences and point of view, and try to limit your personal biases. That's the only way we can grow. Listening is an important skill for everyone and can be useful in any context. To me, the number one rule of listening is respect. Follow that, and you're already off to a great start.

My favorite simple pleasure is walking my dog with my mom. Our daily stroll with my dog, Frank, is often the best part of my day. It provides me with a chance to slow down, catch up with my favorite person, and enjoy the outdoors, all at once. My first "rule" of taking walks with my mom is that I try to always leave my phone at home. I think that it's too easy to get distracted with social media, emails about school and other stressors, and all of the other noise technology can create. These are the things I try to tune out on my walks to create a more relaxing and enjoyable environment. My mom and I will just catch up, talking about our days if we haven't seen each other, the latest neighborhood news as we walk through town, or anything else that's on our minds. This would be much harder with a phone buzzing in my hand the whole time. The second thing I love about these walks is the chance to see the world around me. It's easy to get distracted with all the chaos around us, but slowing down with a daily stroll through the neighborhood allows you to better appreciate the beauty around you. I now notice more of the little things. I've picked up on aspects of the changing of the seasons I never would have noticed before. I check the weather frequently, so I know when to expect rain or snow or warmer weather. And, I know exactly which houses have dogs because Frank feels the need to bark at all of them. This simple pleasure prompts me to slow down and appreciate what's in front of me more often, which is a reminder I often need and appreciate.

Deciding what I wanted my future to look like was a surprisingly daunting task for most of my youth. In high school, I bounced from class to class, each time thinking maybe this was the thing I'd like to study in college until I finally realized that my dream career had been in front of me the whole time. I've always loved to read. Reading has always been my favorite hobby, and literature and English have been my favorite subjects in school for as long as I can remember, so why wouldn't I devote the rest of my life to books? So, I have decided to pursue a career in publishing and editing to achieve this goal. I'm in my first year of college now, double-majoring in Marketing and English, with a concentration in literary studies, and absolutely loving it. My classes are so engaging, and all of my professors are incredibly knowledgeable about the subjects they teach. My homework for my English courses consists of a lot of reading, which I am overjoyed about. Even better, I get to come to class every day and simply talk about the readings from the night prior. It's amazing. My business courses are a bit more challenging, as they often require more math and graphing, which I typically struggle with a bit more, but I honestly enjoy how hard these courses make me work. It's important for me to learn things outside of my comfort zone sometimes. I'm beginning to search for internships and consider more practicalities about my career now, and while these reality checks can be intimidating, they also fill me with excitement for where my future will take me. Hopefully somewhere full of books!

Writing letters began as a way for me to entertain myself during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic but has remained an incredibly important part of my life, and my favorite way to show the people I love that I care about them. In March 2020, when the world shut down due to the coronavirus, I started looking for both new ways to stay connected to my friends, and hobbies to fill my days. To solve these issues, I took up writing letters. I would spend over an hour just one letter, drawing doodles in the margins and detailing every detail of my day in an effort to make my friends smile. And to my surprise, I soon began receiving letters back! My friends thought this was a great alternative to seeing each other in person. As time went on, my mail got even more extravagant. I began to include things like handmade recipe cards, and my friends would send back tiny drawings for my bulletin board, their favorite quotes, and my favorite, a personalized crossword puzzle. Eventually, the world began to open back up, and many of my loved ones abandoned the practice of mailing cards and letters due to their busy schedules, but it's a hobby I still take part in! I especially love writing to my friends who moved away for college. I'm a commuter student, so a nice way for me to show my love to my friends living hours away is to mail a note reminding them I miss them and wish them luck in their studies. When I write a letter, I don't really expect a reply. It's just a way for me to remind my loved ones I'm thinking about them!

I am happiest when I'm with my best friends. I spent my entire senior year e-learning and not socializing with anyone outside of my household due to safety concerns, and unfortunately, most of my friends didn't stick with me through that challenge. However, the friends who stayed and the ones I've made since bring me so much joy, and my time alone makes it even more special. When I was first vaccinated back in April and could begin seeing friends again, I was apprehensive. It's hard to begin something again when it's been so long. I quickly discovered my fears were completely unfounded, as I enjoyed my time socializing even more than I did pre-pandemic. I have a much smaller group of friends now, but they mean so much to me. Out having a fun time, looking around at the people I love, what could be better? That's what makes me happiest.

Like everyone else, I have spent an unprecedented amount of time at home lately, and in this time, I've decided what career I'd like to pursue. I've never really known what I wanted to do with my life. With passions in music, politics, and the planet, I had a lot of potential paths to follow, but none stood out to me. Until I started reading again, that is. When I was young, all I ever wanted to do was read. I was always begging my mom to take me to the library to pick out a new book, but once I hit high school, it wasn't something I had much time for anymore, at least until the pandemic hit. I started to read again and remembered why I loved it so much. Reading is a fantastic way to escape from the world for a little while, which is certainly needed these days. After about a year of picking up my favorite hobby again, I realized it was something I could make a career out of, and more importantly, something I would enjoy. So, I am currently studying English and Marketing with the intention to work in publishing after graduation.

With everything that has happened in the past year and a half, I'm certain everyone could benefit from more self-care. Before the pandemic hit, I never prioritized self-care, or really prioritized myself at all. Constantly rushing between meetings, rehearsals, work, and school, I hardly had any time for myself. The pandemic halted my normal activities and forced me to reevaluate my routine. Unfortunately, the pandemic also brought me a diagnosis of depression, but that was all the more reason to reprioritize and start taking care of myself. A few of my favorite things to do for self-care are reading, spending time alone, journaling, and listening to music. I love to read, so reading is always a satisfying use of my time. It also creates an opportunity to escape reality for a while and step into the world of whatever book I'm reading, which can be a nice getaway. I have noticed that since the pandemic began, I really value my alone time. Before, my only alone time was pretty much going to sleep or driving, so I've come to appreciate being by myself more. Journaling is another favorite calming activity of mine, if I'm ever feeling worked up over something, I find it helps me to write about it. Lastly, my favorite self-care act is listening to music. Whether I'm driving around, on a walk, or just relaxing, music always seems to fix whatever I'm going through. If there's anything I've learned this year, it's that overworking myself and expecting things to work out anyways is simply not the way to live. Implementing these simple self-care acts into my life has been a major improvement.

To me, friendship means being there through the good and the bad, regardless of distance. My best friend lives just a few houses down from me, but due to safety concerns, I wasn't really socializing with anyone outside of my household until I got vaccinated. I was fortunate enough to be fully vaccinated by last April, but that still meant months without seeing one of my favorite people. However, she never let me feel left out, and I tried my best to return the favor. I sent letters detailing my daily activities, and we had extremely regular Facetime calls. Whenever I needed advice, she was still right there, just over the phone, and vice versa. Now, we are both vaccinated and I can see her in person whenever I please, but those few months just prove how strong our friendship really is. Some would have just moved on and found someone else to confide in, that they could see in person, but she was more than happy to wait for me, and for that, I'm incredibly grateful.