"It's like, remember who you always were, where you came from, who your parents were, how they raised you. Because that authentic self is going to follow you all through life, so make sure that it's solid so it's something that you can hold on and be proud of for the rest of your life." Michelle Obama On a daily basis you encounter quite a few people that act in different roles throughout the day. I routinely encounter my parents, my sister, teachers, peers, coaches, friends, store clerks, neighbors, etc. One way I have learned to interact better with people and that has also changed my perspective in general, is to simply remember everyone is not raised the same. As cliche and as simple as this statement may seem, to actually process and apply it takes a deeper approach. I found myself being very judgemental or having expectations of people based solely on my own upbringing. Everyone is raised in different types of households, under different direction, by different family members, in different social and moral environments, all while dealing with different types of stressors. While I do believe as we mature and grow older we have an obligation to think and rationalize situations based on our own personal and moral beliefs, we are all still influenced greatly by the aspects of our upbringing. Whenever I encounter someone in my daily life who exhibits behavior, beliefs, opinions, or makes comments different from my own perspective I really try to remind myself that I am not in their shoes and I was not brought up the same way they were. I do not know why they feel or interpret things the way they do. This allows me to be more receptive and willing to understand their point of view.

“It’s not how much money you make, but how much money you keep, how hard it works for you, and how many generations you keep it for.” Robert Kiyosaki As cliche as it sounds, the wisest piece of financial advise I have kept close has been to save money for a “rainy day”. A rainy day can include but is not limited to a family emergency, preparing for natural catastrophes or a pandemic, unforeseen hospitalizations, etc. The list can go on and on. As a sixteen year old I am still mastering the art of being responsible and creating good financial habits. I never understood why my mom would give me an allowance but only allow me spend half. I always had to put half in my savings account. I often asked, why not just give me the money I can spend? I now understand the actual act of me going into the bank and putting my twenty dollars in a savings account was a lesson all in itself. Having money saved also allows you to take advantage of opportunities as they arise. Catching your favorite sneakers, or video game, or clothes on sale is a perfect example of advantage of an opportunity. Investment opportunities can come up abruptly and require a certain amount of money down. Teaching generational wealth to family, friends, and eventually my own children starts with understanding the importance of saving. It is an invaluable lesson that I am very appreciative to have learned from my mother and that I will continue to develop and share.

“Its not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.”-Hans Selye Stress management is the key to living a long healthy life. Eating healthy, exercising regularly, keeping up with annual necessary medical/dental exams , and practicing safe and responsible personal and social habits are all ways to increase your life expectancy; however, none are more important that managing stress. Longevity in life relates directly to our reaction to stress. Stress is not always a bad thing, it is determined by your physical and mental response to stressors. Learning to manage stress will help you to live a long time. For me, a healthy form of stress is the process of preparing to take an exam. know about the exam two weeks before I have to take it. As the test date approaches, I become slightly more anxious. My reaction to this type of stress is to study harder and spend more time focusing on the material. I feel I work better and retain more information under this type of stress. Examples of a unhealthy forms of stress can include death, family issues such as divorce or family violence, being in a pandemic, abuse, trauma, fear, mental health issues, school, work, etc. There is an abundance of factors that can add stress to everyday life which is stressful i itself. The stressors are not as important as how you deal with them. My mother always told me only worry about what’s in your control. So many times people choose to stress over things that are not in their control. You cannot control other peoples actions, reactions, feelings, or opinions; but you can control your own. Managing stress and mental health go hand-in-hand. Find a healthy way to cope, because that is the key to living s long life.

Mark Dean is a brilliant African American inventor and computer programmer that was a major developer for IBM in the 1980’s, he also has a PhD in electrical engineering. He holds an astonishing three out of the nine original patents from IBM and his accomplishments include developing the color pc monitor and the first gigahertz chip. Mr. Dean is a living legend and so many people have never heard his name, this is why I chose him as my favorite stem scientist.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” Barack Obama 44th President of the United States of America Our 44th president of the United States of America is truly a remarkable man. He was a pillar of dedication, commitment to his family, his country, his job as president, being true to himself and representative of his culture In the most dignified way possible. This makes him admirable. In today’s society and political realm it is unreal to think that this president completed two full terms with no personal or major political scandals and no accusations of legal wrong doing. Being the first African American president not only impacted him but had a huge bearing and responsibility that fell on his beautiful wife and daughters. Although some of us think we can relate to the stress, unrest, fear, and strain this put on him and his family we could never understand. Yet still he continued to rise above. President Obama is an inspiration and truly proves that anything can be accomplished through perseverance, hard work, and dedication. Leadership, passion, love of community, public service, civil duty, patriotism, charity, and love are all standards and personal qualities that Barack posses and encourages others to partake in. The dignity and poise president Barack Obama displayed one hundred percent of the time no matter how his name was being slandered is what I admire most. His level of patience and wisdom is what I will continue to strive for as I continue to pursue my education in college and life.

“The game will test you but never fold. Stay ten toes down. It’s not on you, it’s in you, and what’s in you they can never take away” Nipsey Hussle. This is a quote I love And live by everyday. It applies to education, community outreach and preservation, and also coping mechanisms that can help you when you are going through a mental health situation or crisis. Often times inner city, low poverty, high crime neighborhoods that are comprised of people from a lower social economic status across the board are located in our black and brown neighborhoods in the United States. These are the areas that lack mental health care opportunities but would benefit greatly from these services. There is such a negative stigma in the black community associated with seeking therapy, seeking drug rehabilitation programs, seeking help for stress and every day trauma the people living in these neighborhoods a force to see on a daily basis. As a sixteen year old young African American male living in an urban city, I often looked at these options weak and something “white people do”. Then I came to the realization that it is not a normal occurrence to have half of your childhood friends (or more) die at the hands of gun violence before you graduate high school. It is not a normal occurrence to see somebody shot in front of you, or on your porch, or on the street you live on. It is not normal to know someone that was harassed, beat, falsely arrested, fasley incarcerated, or even killed at the hands of the police solely because of their skin color; however, some young minorities are forced to deal with one or all of these before their eighteenth birthday. All these situations discussed are trauma plain and simple. Just like our American soldiers that risk their lives to go to other countries and fight for our freedom, witnessing genocide and carnage; our young minorities on the streets of some of our most prominent cities are seeing similar devastation. How could you not have Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after experiencing any of the above. One major difference is at least the military offers a host of programs, counseling and therapy outreach groups to assist with mental health issues. There are also so many other factors that have a higher rate of occurrence in the African-American community than with other demographic areas. Drugs, gangs, family genetic related mental health issues, substance abuse, broken single parent homes, low household income related to lack of college education or job availability, and higher incarceration rates to name a few. The statistics are all documented and speak for themselves. Now back to the question at hand. My utopian vision to improve mental health and social justice reform includes free after school programs that offer tutoring and include various options for sports outlets. My vision allows for job training with businesses that partner with schools to allow at risk youth the ability to work and gain credit for school while making money and gaining experience. Civility needs to be encouraged. Volunteer opportunities should be tied into creating a better neighborhood within our own communities. There should be crisis counselors that work for the school system that make home visits and assist with locating needed resources outside of typical school hours. All these ideas are ways to improve mental health in minority communities and would in my mind create the ultimate mental health utopia.

“The game will test you never fold. Stay ten toes down. It’s not on you, it’s in you, and what’s in you they can never take away”. This is one of my favorite quotes from philanthropist and rapper Nipsey Hussell, and the words express how I stay true to myself in my daily life. I am a sixteen years old, African American, and attend Maury High School in Norfolk, Virginia. I am mild mannered, smart, respectful, and pretty laid back. I have played basketball since I was five years old and acquired diverse friendships. I am currently enrolled in Honors English 11, AP Statistics, AP US World History, and the Norstar program (a very selective engineering program). I have friends that I grew up with that have been shot, have children, and that have even died at the hands of gun violence. I am fortunate that I am being raised in a two parent household that allots me a pretty good balance of culture and social experiences, and that helps keep me true to myself. Growing up, my father is what most people would consider “rough around the edges”, raised a low poverty high violence area, hanging with a rough group of friends, didn’t finish college, has been arrested, but in the end he still persevered and now works successfully as a shipping supervisor. My mother had me at nineteen and went a more traditional route and attended nursing school and now works for the government as a peri operative registered nurse. I make decisions in my life now based on how I want my future to be, regardless of what anybody thinks or has to say and it’s because of my upbringing. “It’s not on you, it’s in you, and what’s in you they can never take away”.