I believe it's important to have healthy eating habits because it helps energize the body and mind. A generic answer, I know, but it's true! I listen to what my body needs and what it craves and provide sustenance for it and it gives me energy back. As someone who hasn't always had the best mindset when it comes to eating, I have started to listen to what it needs and wants in good portions. Whether that be more food or less, I listen to when I'm hungry and drink water when I'm not to help with providing myself with what I need without feeling guilty. I have made a good habit of buying more fruits and vegetables, eating a balanced lunch and dinner, and drinking water in the morning along with coffee since I'm never usually hungry in the mornings. If I am, it's some eggs and toast, since it's what I can afford. I enjoy being able to allow myself to buy cookies, brownies or chips as long as I eat them in good portions and eat other fruits if I'm still feeling snacky after. The differences which I've noticed in my physical and mental health are feeling energized and motivated, thinking clearly, having a happier attitude and being able to focus on my tasks for the day. Eating when I feel hungry and allowing myself to know it's okay to eat fatty foods as a part of my diet is a good eating habit I've made and I'm happy I made it. Because not only has it helped me feel good about myself, it has made me feel motivated to continue healthier habits such as going to the gym, doing yoga, and even having the mental energy to socialize with people after work and even on days off. Having healthy eating habits has helped me become a better influence on friends and motivate them into thinking better about what they do, how they do it and to even listen to their bodies as I do! I love to be able to be a good influence on my peers and I;m happy to say that what has influenced me, is seeing a friend of mine start to glow and get stronger because of her eating habits and how she views her relationship with food. Having built this healthier habit and adding it to my routine has helped with my anxiety about what I eat, how I look physically and how I feel mentally and has improved my overall way of life.

The thing that excites me most in college is learning! I love being able to put to use the things I learn and adapt that to my way of thinking and acting. Being able to learn new things and open my mind to different points of view is fascinating. I've always been a curious person and being able to go to college and do just that is the best. With how I maintain a healthy mind, body and soul- I make sure that among my work schedule, I have time for classes and homework, to be able to socialize with my friends and explore the campus through Western Washington University's organized events. I try and make it a goal to go to the gym and work out at least three times a week, and if I can then I make sure not to make it so I feel guilty because I make sure I know life is busy. I make sure on days I don't go to or have access to the gym I do yoga or simply just take a nature walk. To create a healthy mind and body I begin my morning with water or coffee and set good intentions for the day, which can be meditating by just giving myself time in the bathroom to get ready or simply sitting at my desk and eating breakfast, planning my day out in a to-do list so I don't feel overwhelmed. I like to second guess myself often, so what I do to deter that is come up with positive reassurances, talk to my friends about my issues, and if it's a struggle with mental health I tend to call my psychiatrist and talk to her about any worries I have. Staying motivated and energized is super important in a college student's busy schedule, and the fear of missing out tends to let oneself rest. This is why I'm grateful to have built a habit to allow myself to rest and listen to my body with what it needs. Listening to one's body and what it craves, how it's feeling, and what it wants is always important. Whether that be a craving, my body being sore the next day after a rough workout, or feeling burnt out, I do my best to stop and listen and reason what I can do to make sure my mind, body and soul are happy to make myself at ease.

My health journey thus far has been not only for my mental health but for my physical health as well. I have made many changes to my routine recently, as to feel more motivated and hard-working. The first step was to ensure that I had a healthy mind with good intentions for myself and that when I started the journey having good mental health above all is the priority. The second step was getting about 6-8 hours of rest and replacing my usual intake of caffeine with water. I incorporate a routine to help with my anxiety that consists of waking up, going to work, going back to my place to have a balanced meal, relaxing a bit to let my food digest with either a show or just sitting and looking for scholarships, then doing yoga, showering and getting ready for bed for the next day! The most important thing I've had to convince myself is that I do not have to stick to a strict cycle every day, I am allowed to be out with friends and go on walks instead of yoga. A diet can be mostly healthy but it is perfectly okay to listen to what your body craves and give it what it needs. I built that habit at the beginning of this year to help better my mind that it's okay to give my body what it wants because it's most likely what it needs! As long as I get some exercise in that day, I can socialize with friends, or I'm able to keep with the habits I've built in the long run (which I've succeeded at so far!) then I am good. This has helped me feel energized, and motivated, kept me happier and more confident in myself and has helped be a good influence on people I know who want to try and feel healthier as well. Exercising for me used to be for losing weight, which is fine, as long as it's to feel better and with good intentions, but as of now I have wanted to work out to gain muscle and get stronger and feel stronger. Because then I feel as if I can do anything I set my mind to! This change in mind has helped influence me to want better for myself and set good intentions for a better future. Although there may be days when the soreness is too much, I have learned that listening to one's body is the best a person can do, because who knows your body best? Your own body!

My name is Maria Simpson, I love my family, my friends, my community and learning. Besides this, I love expressing my creativity through poetry, watercolor painting, clay making and being a mother of 9 separate plants that I've grown from plant clippings and seeds found in my neighborhood. I want to attend college to make my parents proud, provide for myself and a better career and to help others. Growing up I have always been good at caring for children, and have always been able to be a place of comfort for those who seek it. I'm very accepting and love talking to people with open arms. As the youngest of three girls in my family, I am the first to go to college in my family and hope to make my parents proud. Both of my sisters are adopted and have been diagnosed with FASD, which has caused me to become very aware of mental health awareness and want to help be a person in young people's lives to talk to. I have always expressed myself through journals and poetry and as an incoming sophomore at Western Washington University, I am planning to major in English with a teaching endorsement and a minor in psychology to have a basic understanding of how to understand how the human mind works and what it needs to thrive and to be able to teach children and focus on their individual needs in the classroom setting. I see it as so important to help others to see them thrive and become stronger and more confident in who they are and see the passion in what they want to do for themselves. I am looking forward to starting my journey in teaching and supporting the youth to a better future. Whether this be by finding ways to do my best to individually meet future students' needs and to discover their passions and strengths or being an adult figure in children's lives whom they can come to for support and help with pure trust. My plan for the future is to live in the Bellingham area after graduation and work as an English teacher, to inspire children and support them in their academics; to achieve a safe place for students and an adult where they can go for support and help, whether that be academically or personally. I hope to be a teacher in my future students' lives where I can help them strive throughout their academic careers, helping them with their strengths and igniting a passion in them to continue to see them pursue the best that they can do. I hope to focus on each student individually as best as I can and get to know them and be aware of what they need and what I can do to help them succeed.

After my first year of college at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, I have now had a whole 9 months to find ways to better my mental health and to keep myself motivated when it comes to attending college. This involves not only being a full-time student, but a person who has a job to support myself through paying for food and housing through the year as well. A few of the ways I have learned to stay motivated is of course having a job. As a first-generation child in my family, I have the priority to get good grades to upkeep my Academic Award through my university and to make my family and friends proud. This year I worked on-campus three to four days a week through the dining services, where I cleaned, took temps and was able to introduce myself to my coworkers and built a positive work community with them. Another way of managing my wellness would be by attending campus-hosted events such as night screenings of popular movies, live music and coedy nights! This helped me stay connected with friends and start integrating myself as part of the campus community. On days where I didn't work or have classes, I used the evenings to spend with a friend (or even by myself) to go to the gym and exercise. Although I walked a lot to and from campus, along with into town to become accustomed to the environment there, I wanted to stay fit and work on my strength in my free time. That way I could energize my body and build muscle and feel healthy. All this helps me maintain personal wellness and succeed as a student because it causes me to stay motivated and busy, as a person who always feels that they need to stay busy and craves productivity. I still take time to rest when I can to regain my mental strength and keep a positive mindset without burning myself out. Keeping my wellness up and finding ways to keep myself in positive spirits creates a better mood and mindset to feed my energy and get good grades when studying. I love talking with friends and going to the library to study with them when not in my room and appreciate my time to myself and time being a part of my campus community. I am very proud of my progress, and seeing how I have built these healthy habits in my first year, I am continuing to work, exercise and stay focused on scholarship applications to continue my life within the community for the next quarter.

I am currently exploring the opportunity of English with a teaching endorsement throgh Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. I want to be able to minor in psychology as well in case after a decade or so of teaching I'll decide to do something with writing papers in psych. These careers have a lot of opportunities for me because teachers right now are very low in the education system. Growing up I have always been good at caring for children, and have always been able to be a place of comfort for those who seek it. I'm very accepting and love talking to people and letting them in with open arms. As the youngest of three girls in my family, I am the first to go to college in my family and hope to make my parents proud. Both of my sisters are adopted and have been diagnosed with FASD, which has caused me to become very aware of mental health awareness and want to help be a person in young people's lives to talk to. I see it as so important to help others to see them thrive and become stronger and more confident in who they are and see the passion in what they want to do for themselves. I am looking forward to starting my journey in teaching and supporting the youth to a better future. Whether this be by finding ways to do my best to individually meet future students' needs and to discover their passions and strengths or being an adult figure in children's lives whom they can come to for support and help with pure trust. My plan for the future is to live in the Bellingham area after graduation and work as an English teacher, to inspire children and support them in their academics; to achieve a safe place for students and an adult where they can go for support and help, whether that be academically or personally. I hope to be a teacher in my future students' lives where I can help them strive throughout their academic careers, helping them with their strengths and igniting a passion in them to continue to see them pursue the best that they can do. I hope to focus on each student individually as best as I can and get to know them and be aware of what they need and what I can do to help them succeed.

Growing up I have always been good at caring for children, and have always been able to be a place of comfort for those who seek it. I'm very accepting and love talking to people with open arms. As the youngest of three girls in my family, I am the first to go to college in my family and hope to make my parents proud. Both of my sisters are adopted and have been diagnosed with FASD, which has caused me to become very aware of mental health awareness and want to help be a person in young people's lives to talk to. I grew up expressing myself through journals and poetry and as an incoming sophomore at Western Washington University, I am planning to major in English with a teaching endorsement and a minor in psychology to have a basic understanding of how to understand how the human mind works and what it needs to thrive and to be able to teach children and focus on their individual needs in the classroom setting. I see it as so important to help others to see them thrive and become stronger and more confident in who they are and see the passion in what they want to do for themselves. I am looking forward to starting my journey in teaching and supporting the youth to a better future. Whether this be by finding ways to do my best to individually meet future students' needs and to discover their passions and strengths or being an adult figure in children's lives whom they can come to for support and help with pure trust. My plan for the future is to live in the Bellingham area after graduation and work as an English teacher, to inspire children and support them in their academics; to achieve a safe place for students and an adult where they can go for support and help, whether that be academically or personally. I hope to be a teacher in my future students' lives where I can help them strive throughout their academic careers, helping them with their strengths and igniting a passion in them to continue to see them pursue the best that they can do. I hope to focus on each student individually as best as I can and get to know them and be aware of what they need and what I can do to help them succeed.

My name is Maria Simpson, I love my family, my friends, my community and learning. Besides this, I love expressing my creativity through poetry, watercolor painting, clay making and being a mother of 9 separate plants that I've grown from plant clippings and seeds found in my neighborhood. For me, it is so important to help others and to see them thrive, become stronger and more confident in who they are and see the passion in what they want to do for themselves. As someone who struggled to connect with those in my community over the years due to my severe anxiety, I have gone through years of therapy and have found ways to cope with my motivation because of such. As someone who has seen the need for more mental health awareness in schools because of this, I hope that as I continue my undergraduate bachelor's degree that I can graduate with a major in English with a teaching endorsement, starting my journey in teaching and supporting the youth to a better future. A Whether this be by finding ways to do my best to individually meet future students' needs and to discover their passions and strengths or being an adult figure in children's lives whom they can come to for support and help with pure trust. The person who inspired this in me was my best friend's mother, someone who I consider to be my parental figure, who became the foster parent of two students in her school for a short time to ensure their safety. I hope to earn the same trust for students who need help in the future and to be able to assist them in finding the help they deserve. Along with my major, I hope to minor in general psychology to be of better assistance and have some sort of sound knowledge if I choose to do something in that field, as well. As of right now, I am living on my own with minimal financial support from my family, as we are low-income. I am currently working two jobs and picking up any other services I can to keep busy, and am looking into volunteering at my local library to spend my time giving back to the community in which I grew up and have cheered me on every step of the way towards my college career. As of this upcoming year, I will be a sophomore in college and hope to have more free time to join the Planned Parenthood club by tabling in the main area of campus, as I attended a few meetings last year but sadly couldn't continue because of scheduling conflicts with my work at the time. To conclude, it is so important to help others because of the positive impact in which one can give. Seeing the smiles and relief wash over someone's face is something I will always seek because no one should feel hopeless. I want to be able to provide as much as I can give and be a source of refuge for those who need it.

I believe my greatest achievement to date is having finished my first year of college. I'm proud that I was able to do so, because of doing it completely on my own without help financially from my parents. I applied for loans on my own and was able to save up $10,000 last year in only six months by working as a Patient Safety Attendant at Regional Hospital. I was surprised enough to have been able to win the Academic Achievement award for my high grades in high school, and am proud that I was able to graduate six months ahead of my graduation date to begin work to save. The experience taught me that hard work is worth it, not only financially secure enough but also to have satisfied with how it feels to have been able to succeed on my own. I am so proud of the lengths I went through and the long hours I worked in the hospital to get me to where I was, and I hope that throughout the summer I will be able to work hard again to succeed in such. Regretfully I won't have time to re-apply for the hospital position again, as I am looking for a job where I can transfer to Bellingham, Washington or somewhere nearby where I am hoping to attend my second year of academic studies at Western Washington University, where I'm planning to major in English with a Teaching Endorsement and to Minor in Psychology. There, I built my own family and have become close with the community, where I thrive and hope to continue to live for years to come. I hope to live in the Bellingham area after graduation and work as an English teacher, to inspire children and support them in their academics. I hope to achieve a safe place for students and an adult where they can go for support and help, whether that be academically or personally. I hope to be a teacher in my future students' lives where I can help them strive throughout their academic careers, helping them with their strengths and igniting a passion in them to continue to see them pursue the best that they can do. I hope to focus on each student individually as best as I can and get to know them and be aware of what they need and what I can do to help them succeed.

It is so important to help others to see them thrive and become stronger and more confident in who they are and see the passion in what they want to do for themselves. As someone who struggled to connect with those in my community over the years due to my severe anxiety, I have gone through years of therapy and have found ways to cope with my motivation because of such. As someone who has seen the need for more mental health awareness in schools because of this, I hope that as I continue my undergraduate bachelor's degree that I can graduate with a major in English with a teaching endorsement, starting my journey in teaching and supporting the youth to a better future. A Whether this be by finding ways to do my best to individually meet future students' needs and to discover their passions and strengths or being an adult figure in children's lives whom they can come to for support and help with pure trust. The person who inspired this in me was my best friend's mother, someone who I consider to be my parental figure, who became the foster parent of two students in her school for a short time to ensure their safety. I hope to earn the same trust for students who need help in the future and to be able to assist them in finding the help they deserve. Along with my major, I hope to minor in general psychology to be of better assistance and have some sort of sound knowledge if I choose to do something in that field, as well. As of right now, I am living on my own with minimal financial support from my family, as we are low-income. I am currently working two jobs and picking up any other services I can to keep busy, and am looking into volunteering at my local library to spend my time giving back to the community in which I grew up and have cheered me on every step of the way towards my college career. As of this upcoming year, I will be a sophomore in college and hope to have more free time to join the Planned Parenthood club by tabling in the main area of campus, as I attended a few meetings last year but sadly couldn't continue because of scheduling conflicts with my work at the time. To conclude, it is so important to help others because of the positive impact in which one can give. Seeing the smiles and relief wash over someone's face is something I will always seek because no one should feel hopeless. I want to be able to provide as much as I can give and be a source of refuge for those who need it.

Ria Simpson She/They Hello! As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I am proud to say I am a bisexual person hoping to Major in English and teach LIterature in the education system to younger children. The Queer community has impacted me in finding myself, not being ashamed of who I am, what I stand for and where I'm meant to be. As someone who grew up Catholic, I was always told who I find to love to be 'wrong' and 'against God.' But since escaping those views, and learning from the mistakes of what so many adults through my childhood told me, I have become so open and understanding of those who are continuing their sexual and gender-ed journey. I am always still so eager to learn about the community and who is in it, as well as the fluidity of sex and gender. As I attend Western Washington University, I have gained even more hope by forming my own family with friends who accept me and are open to change within a community that encourages one another to continue their journey with self-discovery in a safe, healthy way. The LGBTQ+ community has impacted me in ways that have created a loving and safe environment for one another and. has undone all the conservative views I once had on myself and the community. As an artist who loves to paint and write, and to be able to openly express oneself by sharing such work, I am grateful to have the opportunity to further my education and to become someone who teaches the youth and encourages them to be confident and who they are whilst also providing a safe place and person for them to go to in times of need. As a person who never felt as if their voice was heard, I cannot wait to become an English teacher and encourage children who struggle to let their emotions orally, to one where they can at the most iterate how they feel or what they want to say in literary form. I want to be able to be an adult in a person's life where they can be ope about their sexuality and where I can encourage growth in the best way I could give. The LGBTQ+ community has taught me that coming out isn't always easy and that family isn't blood, but the community and the people you find and choose to support you in whatever you are discovering/ searching for.

Ria Simpson Through my work, and in class, I have shown a great deal of leadership by taking charge, making a plan and finding an open team in any field to make the best out of our work. As the youngest of three girls, I have learned to take control of a situation and make the best of it when I have the chance. With both adopted siblings struggling with FASD, I learned to take on the responsibility of household chores, shopping and open communication which lead to fewer fights. As someone with anxiety, I have learned to take charge of what works best for me and others that causes less stress. Because of how I grew up, I believe this instilled in me a want to take the lead and help those I see struggling, but to also let them know that as a leader I am there for aid, control and comfort. The definition for a leader, in my mind, is a person who can help move things forward, but also keep a team together and satisfied, a person who finds the individual strengths in each person and encourages them to continue to shine. An example of this would be during a group assignment my classmates and I did my first year of college, where we were assigned an essay to write together. I took charge and asked each person who would be interested in writing which article as to which they were interested, and someone who I noticed lacked motivation in the team, to go ahead and write the introduction and conclusion. Throughout the hour we had to write it, things went smoothly and I checked in on my classmates to see how everyone was doing. I hope to achieve a strong and understanding mind with future students in the education system. That I am not only someone to go to for solutions but someone to seek comfort in. That I can lead a class to show their best selves and find confidence in everything they do, and never let them stay down when they fall. I hope to be a good role model to look up to for those in the educational system and to inspire them to become the best they can be, with some sort of stable support in which they can come to. I hope to lead the younger minds to better futures and never give up on themselves.